HADRIAN’S WALL. DAY 1

We arrived to a gloriously sunny Bowness on Solway in the late afternoon. A small community situated on the edge of the Solway Firth estuary.

Winnie demanded a leg stretch and we needed to look for somewhere to leave our car for the week to avoid the £8 daily charge.

The woman in charge of the car park informed us that our car will be hit by a bus if we don’t leave it in her car park. I presumed she had an arrangement with the bus driver to ensure that her promise became fact. I guess we’ll find out in 6 days.

We checked into the Hunter Leisure Group accommodation, the room featured green glitter paint and cold blue LED lights. We left immediately for the bar, emptied the car of our belongings and spread out in the sun to began the ritual pack-shakedown.

Usually this is about reducing weight wherever possible, but this ended up being about us deciding Winnie would need more things to ensure her imaginary needs were fully met. We now decided she required lunch for example, as well as breakfast and dinner, and that her hair would he a mess by the end if we didn’t also pack her hairbrush. Winnie was more interested in the resident cat, so I had to pack her bag for her.

We retired to the Kings Arms Inn for dinner, where we were very warmly welcomed and fed. Upon hearing the desert menu, Snakes remarked that “all my expectations are always met in the North”.

Day 1: Wallsend to Heddon on the Wall

Bowness was to be the end point of our walk, so we now needed to get to the start. We chose this option as, ending in bowness will be nicer than Newcastle, the drive home will be quicker, and doing all the public transport / shuttle faff at the beginning, is better than doing it at the end.

By 7.34am we’d drunk tea, relieved Winnie, parked the car a 2 minute walk up the road, and were sat on the bus, which, conveniently, did not hit our car as it drove out of Bowness on the 45 minute ride to Carlisle.

The bus was £2 a chuck which is a very positive start for us. We hopped off in Carlisle and bought breakfast on route to the train station. The train tickets were £3 a chuck. Snakes expectations of the North continued to be met by these ‘please do use public transport’ prices. The train was waiting in the station when we arrived and Winnie found herself a spot at the back to nestle in.

After the 90 minute train journey we disembarked in Newcastle Central Station where we had a 9 minute walk to the metro. There, we re-embarked on a 10 minute journey to Wallsend and the start of our walk.

11.04am. The beginning of this walk, which I’ve actually partaken in before, was most unappealing and uninspiring. Largely because it was raining.

The walk actually veers away from the official wall, slightly beside the point, but because it ran through what it is now the centre of Newcastle, via A-roads and duel carriageways, those that created the path thought it best to redirect it and send the yearly 10,000 walker’s via the bustling quayside and warf. Taking in the sites of old industry and shipping yards. Forget that stupid wall.

The day is all tarmac, on path and very occasionally road. The walk takes you through Newcastle by the Tyne and out the other side. It’s all flat. Flat tarmac is the very worst kind of walking for foot, and leg pain. But there was enough to see and smell to keep us all interested. Winnie was particularly interested in the resident quayside rats.

Because we’ve reduced our usual mileage for little Winnies first backpacking trip, we can afford to stop after 4 miles at the cycle hub, a bike repair shop and cafe and consume hot beverages and the modest packed lunch our nights accommodation provided us.

My backpack hip belt clip broke in Arizona, I purchased another from Wamart and replaced it. Unfortunately it was a total pack of crap and blew open whenever I exhaled just a little too hard. I have a spare waist belt at home, but naturally I forgot to swap it out for the broken one and have spent most of the day breathing as lightly as possible. Which has not always been possible.

Synthetic cheese sandwiches consumed, we marched on.

A further 7 miles or so at around 11 miles, soaked to the skin and now past the busstle of Newcastle, we stopped at a pub. Who’s bartender asked what I meant by ‘hoppy’ when asking about the beer.

Winnie has earned her trailname today. On account of the rain, and that she is now half the size, Snakes has named her ‘Flat Eric’.

We waited for the rain to cease, playing a few rounds of cards hoping that if we ignored it, it would go away. And it did! Until we donned all our wet gear, readied Winnied panniers and headed for the door  then it started back UP with a vengeance.

Another couple of miles up the path and I spotted the very aggressive sign I remember from years ago walking this path. Years before though the huge ‘KEEP OFF’ sign had been monstrously defaced by someone amending it to read ‘PEEPO’ which was just about the best thing ever. 

Snakes exclaimed loudly and positively (very unlike her) about the camp spot she’d found. It was just off the path overlooking the Tyne, which would make a 10/10 breakfast tea spot in the morning. We were gopping wet and it was time to stop.

We set up in record time, chucked a load of food down winnies neck then dived in to wrap her up warm and cook some food.

We’re here now, just about dry and listening to the heavy rain and distant rumblings of far off trains. Winnie, initially wet and a little cold, is wrapped in our down sleeping bags and wedged inbeween us in the inner vestibule of the tent. Glad we bought this extra big one especially for her to sleep in the porch….

Night then.