Hadrian’s Wall Walking Weekend
Join Large Outdoors for a weekend adventure along Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site. This trip features a stay in a charming hostel located directly on the wall. Daily walks will explore the historic Roman Frontier. Accommodation, meals, guided walks, and transport for the walks are all included, allowing you to unwind and connect with fellow walkers.
Experience Type: Multi-Day Experience
Duration: 2 nights
Accommodation: Hostel
Group Size: Maximum 45
Level: Leisurely & Active
Age: 18+
Dogs: No dogs, except trained assistance dogs
Walk in the footsteps of the Romans on a sociable walking weekend…
Hadrian’s Wall is renowned the world over as a feat of Roman construction, celebrated by its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It’s a bucket-list visit for walkers and history lovers from around the world, and it’s one of our favourite places to guide walking groups.
The Wall stretches for 73 miles across Northumberland and Cumbria. It’s a long walk, and not all of it is as picturesque as the rest (though, to be fair to the Romans, they probably didn’t have long-distance hikers in mind!). We’ve designed our Hadrian’s Wall Walking Weekend to show you some of the best bits, combined with a stay at a lovely local hostel.
Let expert Large Outdoors guides plan and navigate the routes (as well as cook you dinner!), leaving you and a group of fellow outdoors-lovers free to fully immerse yourself in the whole experience.
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1
You are welcome to arrive at our hostel accommodation for the weekend at any time after 5pm. You’ll be greeted by your Large Outdoors host, who’ll help you settle in and introduce you to those who’ve already arrived.
Tonight, your only task is to relax in our accommodation’s comfy lounge or outdoor seating area and enjoy great company over a cup of tea or a glass of wine. We’ll serve a delicious home-cooked dinner at around 8pm and outline our plans for our upcoming weekend adventure.
Day 2
After breakfast and packing up our lunches for the day, we’ve laid on a coach to drive the group to the start of our walks. To make sure we get to see as much of the walk as possible, both our Leisurely and Active walks are linear (choice of walking routes subject to participant numbers). Click here to see Large Outdoors’ Experience Levels. The coach will drop you at your chosen walk start point and then you will walk back to the hostel, with your Large Outdoors walk guide taking care of navigation.
Our shorter, Leisurely option is a gentle-paced 10-mile walk from Housesteads Roman Fort back to Greenhead. This route will take in some of the most spectacular parts of the wall including the famous Sycamore Gap or Steel Rigg. This is quite an undulating route as we follow the Wall.
Our longer, Active option is a 15 mile walk starting at Brocolitia Roman Temple of Mithras, who was the god beloved by Roman soldiers. From here we follow Hadrian’s Wall Path (a National Trail) until we reach Housesteads Roman Fort. From here we then follow the same route as today’s Leisurely walk, outlined above.
In the evening we’ll head back to our hostel, buzzing from a fantastic day out exploring one of the UK’s most fascinating walks. You’ll have the opportunity to kick back with your fellow walkers and enjoy a great dinner prepared by your Large Outdoors host.
Day 3
After breakfast and checking out of the hostel, we’ll head out straight from the door on an out-and-back walk to Birdoswald Roman Fort, a spectacular site of historical interest (plus a handy cafe and toilets!).
This will be a Leisurely 7.5 mile walk. The route takes us along a great section of the Wall as it follows the route of, and crosses, the pretty River Irthing. You’ll see the remains of turrets, milecastles, and a Roman bridge as you head along the Wall, through undulating pasture. Marvel at the ingenuity and sheer determination of Roman construction as you traverse a section of this 73-mile defensive wonder and through the pretty village of Gilsland.
Good to Know
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Meeting Time: from 5pm.
You can arrive any time from 5pm - the Large Outdoors host will be at the accommodation to welcome you. Dinner will be served around 8pm so if you intend to arrive later than this, please ensure you have something to eat on the way.Meeting Location:
The Greenhead Hostel
Station Road
Greenhead
CA8 7HBParking: There is free parking available at the hostel, with additional on-street parking available nearby.
Public Transport: The Greenhead Hostel is located 3.5 miles from Haltwhistle Train Station (and 20 miles from Hexham Train Station) with services to/from Newcastle, Middlesborough and Carlisle.
Bus services - Hadrian's Wall Country Bus AD122 - are available from Haltwhistle and Hexham to Greenhead.Finish Time: We aim to finish on the final day between 1pm and 3pm - the exact finish time may depend on the planned/chosen activity, group dynamic, weather conditions, whether the group chooses to grab a coffee or lunch together during/after, etc. If you’ve travelled via public transport, please ensure you book onward travel accordingly (i.e. an open return ticket), to allow for flexibility.
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Situated on the Northumberland and Cumbrian border, with Hadrian's Wall on the doorstep, The Greenhead Hostel offers a fantastic base for this experience. The newly refurbished hostel features a boot room, quiet room, outside picnic tables and fantastically social lounge space with pool table and table football. The Greenhead Hotel is just across the road too, with a great bar.
Bedding and a towel are provided - but don’t forget your own toiletries.
Accommodation Address:
The Greenhead Hostel
Station Road
Greenhead
CA8 7HBRoom Types:
You can book one of the following options, subject to availability:
Bed in a Shared Female Room
Bed in a Shared Male Room
Double RoomAt this hostel there are primarily Shared Rooms, where you’ll be sharing a dorm room - with bunk beds - with other participants (room sizes vary and bathrooms are shared). Double Rooms sleep up to two participants booking together, with a double bed (bathrooms are shared with other rooms).
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Included:
2 nights’ accommodation at The Greenhead Hostel.
A Large Outdoors host/guide to welcome you, deal with meal preparation and the logistics for your experience.
Guided walks on two days (Day 2 and Day 3).
Travel from the accommodation to activity start points, where they don’t start from the door - a coach will be provided for Day 2’s walk.
Home-cooked set 2-course dinners at the accommodation on both evenings.
A DIY breakfast each morning (toast, cereals, fruit and yoghurt provided).
A DIY packed lunch (sandwich and snacks) for Day 2’s walk. Please ensure you bring a lunch box or dry bag - to reduce waste, we do not supply cling film or sandwich bags.
Tea (including decaf and herbal options), coffee (including decaf option), and squash at the accommodation.
Bedding and a towel - but don’t forget your own toiletries.
The chance to make new friends and meet like-minded people - Large Outdoors is all about making outdoor adventures sociable.
Pre-event support from the Large Outdoors team - give us a shout if there’s any advice or information you need and check out our Blog for useful articles too.
Not included:
Travel to and from the meeting location.
Any extra (i.e. not mentioned above in ‘Included’) excursions or activities that you may partake in which incur a cost.
Bottled water - tap water and squash are available at the accommodation, so please ensure you bring sufficient water bottles or carriers to fill up and take out with you.
Alcoholic drinks - please feel free to bring something with you to enjoy at the accommodation, or there’s a hotel with a bar just across the road.
Any food, drinks or goods you choose to purchase at any shops, restaurant, pubs or cafés visited.
Travel/activity insurance - we recommend having insurance to cover, at a minimum: cancellation and curtailment; medical and emergency expenses (including repatriation); personal accident; injury and death.
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Please see our Residential (Walking) Kit List.
The compulsory items are selected for your safety, which is of paramount importance to us at Large Outdoors. Each participant should be carrying the items listed.
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• What level of fitness is needed?
This trip is graded as both Leisurely and Active, so we will have a choice of walks on offer (subject to participant numbers). Click here to see Large Outdoors’ Experience Levels.• Can I attend on my own?
Absolutely. The majority of our participants are solo travellers and adventurers. Plenty of fun, laughter and numerous long-term friendships (and a few marriages!) have begun on Large Outdoors experiences since 2008, so there’s no need to feel worried about your first experience, or indeed trying a new type of outdoor activity, with us.• I am currently on a specific diet / have an allergy - can you cater for me?
Unfortunately, we are generally unable to cater for a wide variety of diets or food preferences due to the nature and cost of our catered trips and/or the use of shared kitchens. However, we can offer vegetarian meals, vegan meals, provide meals with gluten* free ingredients, and/or provide dairy* free meals - these options can be selected when booking. *Please see our general FAQs for more information about dietary options.• What transport is provided during this trip?
We provide a coach to transport you from the accommodation to the walk start point on Day 2.• Can I bring my dog?
Dogs are not allowed on this experience, except for trained assistance dogs. If you wish to bring your trained assistance dog, please let us know in advance of booking so we can discuss the itinerary and any activity/equipment/accommodation, and of course additional safety requirements or considerations that may be necessary. -
Running nearly 80 miles from coast to coast, the ancient fortification of Hadrian’s Wall was the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. From the modern cities of Carlisle and Newcastle, it runs in a near-straight line across the hilly interior, over the hills and moors of Northumberland and gazed down on by the mighty moors of the North Pennines. In this central section, much of the Wall remains, at least to a metre or so above the ground, and there are also plenty of other forts and ‘milecastles’ to be seen.
Following the wall along its length is the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail, and there are lots of other paths criss-crossing it - meaning the area is excellent for walkers and there are multiple options for exploration of this great piece of British history.
This map is provided for guidance regarding the general location. For detailed meeting information, please refer to the 'Meeting Time & Location' section.