Escorted Walking Holidays / Hadrian's Wall & Centre of Britain
	Overview
Hadrian's Wall and Centre of Britain	8 Days / 7 Nights	Grade B: Hills or Coastal Walking
This is a centre-based holiday which means for the duration of your holiday you will be staying in the same hotel. The hotel in question is The Centre of Britain Hotel which is one of our favourite accommodations and one which we use ourselves whenever in the area. A walking holiday along Hadrian's Wall is a walk through history. Hadrian's Wall once stretched across the width of Northern Britain from coast to coast. It was built in 122 AD upon the orders of Emperor Hadrian and remains one of the most magnificent Roman monuments in Britain today. The Romans made very good use of the rugged landscape of Northumberland when building the wall and this makes for an ideal week of walking. In addition to the wall itself, there are many examples of mile-castles, turrets and garrison forts still standing which make this structure unique within the Roman Empire. Now nearly 1900 years later, the Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail links both ends of the Wall from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend. However on this walking holiday we concentrate on the most dramatic and central sections of the trail - from Brampton to Chollerford, where in addition to the best-preserved sections of Hadrian's Wall there is an abundance of visitor centres, English Heritage properties and other sites illustrating the rich and varied history of the area. On this holiday you are accompanied by our experienced and knowledgeable local guide who will further enhance your holiday with descriptions of all that you see as well as providing a detailed commentary on the local and roman history. So take a walking holiday with us along Hadrian's Wall and join us on this unique walk into the past!

Day 1 (Arrival)
Arrive at the town of Haltwhistle in Northumberland - a town which claims to be at the geographic centre of Britain, equidistant from the sea as measured along the principal points of the compass. Your hotel for the week is 5-10 minutes walk from Haltwhistle railway station (on the Newcastle–Carlisle, Tyne Valley Line).

Pick up by arrangement from train arrivals, and for those driving to the accommodation there is also a car park at the Hotel.
This evening there is the opportunity to meet everyone with a welcome meeting followed by our welcome dinner.

Day 2 Brampton to Gilsland (9 miles, 14.5km)
A short transfer this morning puts you on the start of our walk along the national trail that is the Hadrian's Wall Path. Today's walk is one of gentle rise and fall with from the small market town of Brampton to the village of Gilsland - a spa village nestling on the banks of the Irthing.

We visit the evocative Lanercost Priory along the way - not on Hadrian’s Wall, but built with stone which was taken from the Wall. We also stop at the wonderful Birdoswald Fort (which once housed over 1,000 Roman soldiers) and see the visitor centre here before finishing your day with a video presentation.

Day 3 Gilsland to Steel Rigg (10 miles, 16km)
Today's walk becomes more dramatic as you enter the Northumberland National Park and you start to climb up from Gilsland. Today's section includes some of the most popular and visited parts of the Wall Trail, as the wall follows the natural lie of the land and abuts the top of crags looking over into Scotland. Passing Thirwall Castle's ruins we head up to the beautiful Walltown and Cawfield Crags before heading across the moors on our way to Steel Rigg.

Day 4 Gilsland to Housesteads (8 miles, 13km)
We start with a visit to the Northumberland National Park Visitor Centre at Once Brewed, then walk the most dramatic section of Hadrian’s Wall - from Steel Rigg, across the rugged outcrop of Whin Sill, passing by Sycamore Gap (well featured in the Kevin Costner film “Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves”) to the Roman fort at Housesteads.

Then finally across country to Vindolanda Roman town where archaeologists may be watched excavating the site. After dinner you can enjoy a “Hadrian’s Challenge” quiz.

Day 5 Housesteads to Chesters (10 miles, 16km)
Starting at Housesteads today we pass by the highest point of Hadrian’s Wall and then continue to walk on by King Arthur’s Cave to visit the site of Brocolitia roman fort and the Temple of Mithras. We then descend to the town of Chollerford where we can visit Chesters Fort - the best preserved Roman Cavalry Fort in Britain with its famous Roman bathhouses.

Day 6 Chollerford to Corbridge (9.5 miles, 15.2km)
From Chollerford, today's walk is over easier terrain as we continue on the Hadrian’s Wall Trail. Passing Heavenfield where King Oswald (604 -642) raised a large wooden cross before the Battle of Heavenfield (AD 635), we continue down to Medieval Aydon Castle and then on to Corstopitum - the old Roman town of Corbridge. That evening we have our “Pride of the North” dinner.

Day 7 Centre of Britain Walk.
Our final day of the tour brings us up to date with a cross section of Haltwhistle history, including Broomhouse Common Bronze Age settlement, the Border Reivers’ strongholds of Bellister Castle and Featherstone Castle (with its remains of WWII POW camp), the legacy of the Industrial Revolution at Lambley viaduct.

During our walking today we enjoy panoramic views over miles of the route of Hadrian’s Wall and beyond to the Scottish Border. Our last evening meal is a Roman themed banquet.

Day 8 Departure
The tour is completed following breakfast.
Transfers to Haltwhistle rail station can be arranged upon request.

Prices and options

We offer a number of different start dates for our Hadrian's Wall and Centre of Britain escorted walking holiday throughout the year. To see the current available start dates please check out the latest schedule which also has our up-to-date prices.

Included in this guided walking holiday are

• 7 nights en-suite accommodation, based on two adults sharing, in our wonderful partner hotel The Centre of Britain, Haltwhistle.
• Meals consisting of a full breakfast each day, with a packed lunch and a three course meal each evening. Drinks are not included.
• 6 days of walking and detailed commentary with our expert Guide.
• Any necessary transport or luggage transfers on walking days.
• Transfers to and from Haltwhistle railway station on request.
• The tour price does not include entry fees to any museums or English Heritage properties.

Single supplement - Single occupancy supplement is £175.

For more information on Hadrian's Wall visit the English Heritage website at www.english-heritage.org.uk.
Further information on the Hadrian's Wall Path itself can be found at the National Trails site www.nationaltrail.co.uk/HadriansWall.
The Hadrian's Wall Tourism Partnership is also a good source of information. You can visit this at www.hadrians-wall.org.
Flight schedules and information on Newcastle Airport.
For information on trains to Newcastle and Carlisle, visit the National Rail site.

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Schedule and Prices

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