Hadrian's Wall Path
OSM hiking route across northern England (123.7 km line), Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway. Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30. Days (10) is a placeholder from round(lengthKm/12), not the published 6–8 day National Trail window (unverified).
Last verified 2026-09-24 vs National Trails / Natural England
Cite this record
The Hiking World, Hadrian's Wall Path, verified 2026-09-24, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/hadrians-wall-path
How we verify · last checked 2026-09-24
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial · author
Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Weather forecast
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Permits and fees
| Permit | Cost | Quota / restriction | Issuer | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No walking permit (National Trail)Unverified — not officially sourced | Not recorded | — | National Trails / Natural England | Issuer page | Unverified |
Local ethics / Leave No Trace
Hadrian’s Wall is a scheduled monument / UNESCO World Heritage Site — stay on the Path. The official trail page recommends May–October to reduce erosion and damage to the archaeology.
nationaltrail.co.uk · verified 2026-08-24
Line download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON
Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog
Easy–moderate National Trail
- SAC T1–T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
- Hiking. Trail well cleared, flat or slightly sloped, no fall hazard. through Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
- YDS Class 1
- Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Log in to view the elevation profile
Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 38791 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.
OSM 2D length is 123.7 km (relation 38791; longest-component snap of the National Trail, Wikidata Q1567583, OSM distance=134.5 km). A 15.4 km leftover fragment west of Bowness-on-Solway was not glued: its nearest end sits 1.17 km from the stored Bowness terminus, and the only OSM link across that hole is unclassified highway 91819140 (not a relation member). Raising the snap to 2 km would invent a road connector past the official western end; it was not stored. Published 135 km / 84 miles, typically 6–7 days (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/, checked 2026-08-24) are cross-checks only, not this DataPoint. This is the walking National Trail, not Hadrian's Cycleway.
typicalDays 7 is the published typical: the official trail-information page generally recommends 6 or 7 days for experienced walkers (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/trail-information/, checked 2026-08-24). Range 6–7 days; not a DataPoint. Season: year-round; best May–October because winter mud damages fragile turf and archaeology (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/, checked 2026-08-24).
Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). The official interactive map lists water points along the Trail; they were not positioned here.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Surface
Surface is not recorded. This field is filled only from an OSM surface tag, not from the grade.
Permits & fees
No permit required.
Getting there
Sourced legs to the Wallsend (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.
Rail · Newcastle International Airport (NCL) → Wallsend
Tyne & Wear Metro. Bus and Metro services link Newcastle International Airport and Newcastle Ferry Port to the start of the Trail at Wallsend. The start is a 10-minute Metro journey from Newcastle rail station (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/trail-information/, checked 2026-08-24).
nationaltrail.co.uk · verified 2026-08-24 · official · provisional
Northern's Newcastle–Carlisle Tyne Valley line and the seasonal AD122 Hadrian's Wall Bus serve intermediate trailheads (same official information page, checked 2026-08-24).
Plan from your location
Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.
Getting there car-free
Wallsend (OSM line start) · car-free flag: yes
Tyne & Wear Metro to Wallsend; about 10 minutes from Newcastle rail station (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/trail-information/, checked 2026-08-24).
Trailheads
- Wallsend (OSM line start) car-free: yes
- Bowness-on-Solway (OSM line end) car-free: unknown
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Hazards
- The Trail is fragile and can become muddy in wet weather; the official page recommends May–October to reduce erosion and damage to the underlying archaeology (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/, checked 2026-08-24).
- The 23 mile (37 km) Chollerford–Birdoswald section is the hardest, with many short climbs and descents (same site, checked 2026-08-24).
- Solway coast stretches near Dykesfield–Drumburgh and Port Carlisle–Bowness can flood on the tide (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/trail-information/, checked 2026-08-24).
- Busy road crossings exist along the Trail (official map filters list them; same information page, checked 2026-08-24).
Questions
Do I need a permit for Hadrian's Wall Path?
No trail permit is listed as required on this record for Hadrian's Wall Path.
When is the best time to hike Hadrian's Wall Path?
On this record the best season is: Year-round; best May–Oct (winter mud/fragile turf).
How difficult is Hadrian's Wall Path?
Hadrian's Wall Path is graded National Trail: easy–moderate · SAC T1–T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: The 23 mile (37 km) Chollerford–Birdoswald section is the hardest, with many short climbs and descents (same site, checked 2026-08-24).
How long is Hadrian's Wall Path?
The OSM 2-D length on this record is 123.7 km (provisional). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
How do I get to Hadrian's Wall Path?
The record’s base start is Wallsend (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Newcastle International Airport (NCL). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.
Related trails
- West Highland Way · United Kingdom