Hadrian's Wall spectacularly appears in a snake-like form from elevated vantage points of the lengthy hike. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Hadrian's Wall

VIDEO: Coast to coast hike in northern England was a sight to behold

Sep 11, 2022 | 12:16 PM

Editor’s Note: NanaimoNewsNOW reporter Ian Holmes provides a recap following his week-long hike along a historic fortification wall in Northern England.

NANAIMO — Sprawling livestock filled farmland, ancient buildings and stunning scenery — hiking across England was an unforgettable experience.

I recently returned from a week-long family trek along Hadrian’s Wall, a historic 135 kilometre journey from a small village in the west near Scotland to the country’s eastern shore in the large port city of Newcastle.

The Roman built fortification wall erected about 2,000 years ago is a UNESCO recognized world heritage site, attracting thousands of people annually.

While only about 10 per cent of the physical stone wall is visible today, the entire history-packed journey has so much to offer.

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Most of the hike passes through private farms, where public gates and small ladder systems with signage guide hikers along the primarily flat route.

It was quite the experience passing through countless where we passed by thousands of sheep and cows.

The foundation of several forts are visible along the wall route, which were home to hundreds of Roman soldiers.

We hiked a little over 20 kilometers a day and rested comfortably each night in hotels along the route.

The Hadrian’s Wall path is dotted by numerous ancient, primarily small communities. The people in these small communities were extremely hospitable.

Virtually all of the buildings in these towns are made of stone or brick — a few of them had 12th century churches with tombstones on the surrounding manicured grounds.

A stretch of about 20 kilometers was particularly challenging with hilly terrain.

While the elevated sections were physically draining, the viewpoints of vast rural farms and small towns below were amazing. Most of the landscape was open planes, with a few forested sections (much different than Vancouver Island).

As the trip wore on the final few kilometers each day were exhausting. Our packs weren’t overly heavy, but periodically carrying a nearly five-year-old made for some challenging sections.

Overall it was a great experience. The food was amazing (bangers and mash, fish and chips and craft British beer were all high end).

Training in advance at a few trails around Nanaimo was certainly helpful, especially the area hikes with elevation.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes