Tymon Burghy

Newcastle upon Tyne, home of the Geordies. An interesting group of people with an accent that is famously unique. Newcastle is home to many things, from Brown Ale to Gateshead Millineum Bridge. Newcastle is where I started my journey because it is also home to an ancient Roman Fort, Segedunum. Although the name is something that native English speakers might have to run through our brains a few times before we make an attempt at pronunciation, it has an easier English name of Wallsend. 

Segedunum is where the wall starts and it is where most Hadrian’s Wall walkers begin their trek. I, however, saw that I was only a few miles from the North Sea and a town called South Shields. I woke up from my hotel in downtown Newcastle, had a lovely full English Breakfast and then headed for the closest subway station. I bought a ticket and jumped on the above-ground subway that would take me to South Shields. The train was packed with runners, number bibs pinned to their chest or legs. At one of the stops, Gateshead Stadium, all of the runners got off and I sat alone. When the train arrived in South Shields I exited and headed for my first waypoint: The Eye. The Eye is a sculpture on the pier in South Shields. Looking into the hole in the eye you can see out into the North Sea. 100m away the tide brought saltwater to the sand and that was where I officially started my trek. The water washed over my shoes with each wave that passed. I stood there and took in the reality of the trek that I had officially started. Adding in the distance from South Shields instead of Segedunum would make this trek a total of 102 miles according to Strava. 

Leaving the beach I headed to the next stop, a Roman fort nearby called Arbeia. This fort is very well excavated and well maintained by the English Heritage Society. The fort has also been partially rebuilt to show just what the Romans would’ve seen. However, when I arrived at the fort’s gates I noticed that it was closed and would only open in about three hours. Unfortunately, those were three hours that I couldn’t spend at the beginning of my trail. I trekked past Arbeia and continued towards the main attraction of the day: Segedunum.

Segedunum is a great place to begin the trek, as a mid-point in my day it was a nice place to pause and really take in the history and the way of the Romans. At the shop by the fort, I bought a stamp book that I could use to document my adventure and that would be a nice memento after the fact. I walked through the museum at the fort and found myself constantly reminded of the books I had read and the research I had done into the Romans and the ancient Brits. Walking along shining rows of armour and excavated relics made me feel like I was at Camp Jupiter and a part of the legion there. I took a trip up a few flights of stairs and came to a room with a large glass window: the observation deck. From this vantage point, I could see the fort below, a laminated map that I grabbed when I entered the room showed me where features of the old fort used to be. And overlooking the ancient fort you can see the outline of buildings, stables, and other structures. This fort used to be a bustling Roman villa complete with a stunning officer’s quarters, large stables with enough chariots to equip a large force of riders. I then descended and went outside to take a look at the actual ruins. After strolling around the remains of the fort, I decided to hit the trail and head for Heddon-on-Wall, which was my next destination.

Passing back through New Castle, I walked through an open-air market, almost a festival of sorts. There were trucks selling all sorts of food and goods; music blasted through speakers nearby and a queue gathered at what I could only assume to be the best pint at the festival. I walked on, passing Newcastle’s landmarks and manoeuvring my way around the city before I hit Hadrian’s Way, the trail that would turn into Hadrian’s Wall Path. As I passed near a bridge in Newcastle called the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a couple asked me to take their photo, they were so excited to be in Newcastle and to have the bridge in the back of their photo. I took it as a cue and took my photo with the bridge as well because maybe these travellers knew more than I did and I would probably regret not getting my picture with it. 

After I passed through Newcastle, the rest of the trail was pretty easy and uneventful. I ended my day at a little tavern that was also my bed and breakfast. After eating dinner and tasting the local brew, I made my way to my room to prepare for the next day’s adventure. 20/102