Hadrian's Wall walk 1

Once Brewed- Peel Crag-Housesteads-Crindleydykes- Vindolanda Fort-Once Brewed Circular

7.5Miles 4.5 hours

Location - NY 752668 - OS Landranger sheet 87 and Exlporer Map OL43

How to get there Park in car park Once Brewed, Northumberland National Park Centre

Download walk instructions Click Here
Go to Hadrian's Wall (camera) click Hadrian pic

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Start:- From the carpark turn left (north) you will come immediately to the B6818 known locally as the Military Road. Cross the road taking great care the traffic is very fast and follow the road on the otherside up to Peel Bothy
Go past the bothy through a gate on the right and up left across the field ahead to a stile over a small wall.

The stretch of Roman wall going left leads up to Windshields Crags and will be a subject of another walk.

You will see the path ahead down to the right. Follow this path up the steep western end of Steel Rigg.

Having got your breath back continue the walk eastward along the southern side of the wall.
The Path drops down and around Milecastle 39, up and on again to drop into the much photographed "Sycamore Gap"

At Sycamore Gap the path goes through the Wall and makes it way to the most spectacular stretch of the walk it being on the cliffs of Highshield Crags looking down to Crag Lough

The path makes its way through a pine wood and down to cross the farm road over a stile and through a gate.

The Wall takes a left turn and the Defensive ditch can be seen coming down the hill from Hotbanks.

Follow the path up past the farm and over the brow of the hill.

A look back westward to Crag Lough from the farm

With the Wall now again to your left the walk continues over Hotbanks Crag, Cuddy's Crags and along to Housteads Crag.

Past Mile castle 37 the Path passes through a gate and into a pine wood.

Here is a legitamate chance to walk along a length of the Wall. passing through the wood and when you come to the end of this bit of wall you are at Housesteads Fort (VERCOVICIVM).

While the Hadrian's Wall Path continues eastward, our walk turns right here through the gate into the Housesteads grounds

Follow the line of the Housesteads wall dropping down past the visitor centre shop and cafe and take the lane as it turns right and down past a farmhouse with an old holly in the garden. Take this lane down to the Military road
Across the road once again being mindful of the speed of the traffic there is a stile into a broad meadow the path is not deeply marked but makes it way to the Col on the hill ahead up and slightly left. at the top there is a track going right and following this track will take you to the brow, over which you will see East Crindledykes Farm. There is access through two gates to the left of the farmyard.
Beyond the farmyard take the lane ahead down the hill and up again to the farm gate. Take the road right and follow it westward you will pass a cycleway sign no 72 on the Hadrian's Cycleway, This road will take you to the lane with a direction sign for VINDOLANDA.

Before you get there, you can view the Crindledykes Lime Kiln by taking the first junction to the right and going down the road a few hundred yards. This is one of several built in this area in the 19th century to convert the local limestone to quicklime for use in farming and building work. Of more than 300 lmekilns in Northumberland this is the only one with four draws into a single pot. This is a GradeII listed building and was restored by the Northumberland National Park Authority in 1989.
Follow the lane down and past the entrance to the VINDOLANDA complex. They have good acess and visiting times if you are inclined to visit this interesting Roman Fort. The walk continues down past a farm and climbs up past the northern side of the fort and past the western entrance to the Fort .
The lane continues in a straight line following the course of the STANEGATE a Roman road which ran from Corbridge to Carlisle, and passes Causeway House which unusually in Northumberland is a thatched building. At the T junction take the road right being careful of the traffic on the Z bends, back to Once Brewed Visitor Centre.
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