Route Stops
This stage enjoys easy walking from historic Carlisle, on the Scotland / England Border, alongside the banks of the beautiful River Eden and over undulating rural countryside. From the quaint village of Walton with its interesting church beside the village green (an excellent lunch stop at the Reading Room Café), the route ascends over a fertile agricultural landscape and parkland to Banks to traverse the steep-sided Irthington Gorge past Lanercost Priory and Banks Turret. View the Roman defences at Birdoswald before reaching the quaint village of Gilsland. Two miles completes the day walk at Greenhead. It is possible to reduce the walk distance by 4.5 miles / 7.2 km from the centre of Carlisle to the countryside at Crosby on Eden by private transfer arranged by EasyWays in advance.
Return to the Wall the following morning to pass ruins of Thirlwall Castle, Magnis Forts and Great Chesters. Continue up Cawfields Crags and up steps through Thorny Doors. The path then ascends to take in the highest point on the walk, the ascent over Winshields Crags (345m above sea level) before passing Peel and Highshield Crags with the remains of Housesteads Roman Fort and National Trust Museum is passed on the crags above Crag Lough. Vindolanda Fort is a short a couple of miles away at this point on the route through Northumberland National Park, especially impressive, with wonderful views all round, including Whin Sill, where the Wall was built along the top of the cliff to take full advantage of the natural contour of the rock face. Follow the Wall alongside the main A69 road to arrive in Chollerford/Wall however as this is a particularly long walk distance with many undulations it is possible to end the day by using the regular local bus service that passes the Temple of Mithras shortening the route by Greenhead to Temple of Mithras 14 miles / 22.4 km.
This morning take the local bus from outside your hotel to Hexham Rail Station to connect with Penrith via Carlisle. Depart Wall 10.30, arrive Hexham 10.50. Depart Hexham 11.18 arrive Penrith via Carlisle 13.01. An Express Bus then connects Penrith with Keswick every 30 minutes. All timetables are included in your EasyWays Tour Pack. Derwentwater Circuit – 11km / 7 miles A circular walk on the flat around the lake that can be completed on the afternoon of your arrival. Also possible to take a water boat across to Hawes End from Keswick Pier to shorten the route distance.
Take the 10.30 Walkers Special launch across Derwentwater to Hawes End requesting the stop for “Cat Bells”. This is a moderate walk up the fell that overlooks Derwentwater offering fantastic view all around including Keswick.
This is a more strenuous route and involves taking a short bus journey to the White Horse Inn to access the walk start point. Blencartha is a steady climb to the 868m point however the effort is rewarded with fantastic views giving a real Lake District experience and reward awaits with a wide selection of local ales in the White Horse before the short journey back to Keswick.
Congratulations – you have completed Hadrian’s Wall and English Lake District! After breakfast, it is time to set off on your onward journey.
Hadrian’s Wall Path & English Lake District
From 64 miles / 102 km (combined)
This tour offers the opportunity to walk the best parts of Hadrian’s Wall, with an extended break in the heart of the English Lake District.
Taking the benefit of the proximity of both locations the tour offers an integrated travel package from the start point in the border town of Carlisle, with rail connections through Hexham and Penrith, to our chosen Lake District base of Keswick.
The Wall part of this tour covers a distance of 44 miles over the most demanding walking section of the wall, from Walton and Winshield Crags through to the Temple of Mithras. However, the reward lies in the amount of battlements still preserved after almost 2000 years.
On completion of the Wall part of the tour, the rail connection to Penrith and express bus service to Keswick have been carefully planned to allow time for an afternoon walk on the arrival into the Lakeland town, where the accommodation offers beautiful elevated overviews of Derwentwater.
A number of walking tour options, designed for completion in a day, either by circular path from the town or by use of the local bus service via a 3 day Explorer Ticket, have been identified to allow a true Lakeland experience.
Your EasyWays Tour Package will contain all details required for your tour, including bespoke GPS download maps and local information on all your overnight stops, with particular emphasis on Keswick, where EasyWays has a long standing association with the town.
Quality Accommodation
Door to Door Baggage Transfer (max 16kg)
Rucksack Readers Guide Book
Location Details For Each Accommodation
Travel Information from start to finish
Sugguested Equipment List
Route Packages
What’s included?
- 6 nights’ accommodation in quality B&Bs, guest houses, inns and hotels Rooms with shower/wc (where available)
- Breakfast
- Door to door baggage transfer – maximum 18 kg per bag
- Rucksack Readers Guide Book
- GPS Mapping App detailing full tour and accommodations
- Travel information to the start and from the finish of the walk
- Suggested equipment list
- Emergency support
What’s not included?
- Evening meals, packed lunches and drinks
- Travel insurance
First established in 1996, EasyWays has built a strong reputation with the UK and International walking community in the delivery of walking holidays throughout Scotland.
The template of every successful business is grounded in long term relationships, and EasyWays, along with our accommodation providers and baggage transfer companies work as one to ensure your walk experience is both enjoyable and memorable.
As a Scottish based company we are close at hand to the walking routes and pride ourselves in delivering a bespoke service – tell us what you would like and we will build an itinerary to match.
