Hadrian Wall Adventure

Trail covered:    Pennine WayGreenhead - Chollerford (30km)

Wildcamping:      There are loughs surrounded by trees, where pitching a tent is easy.  Locals               

                  said you can camp anywhere above the trees, which gives a lot of options.

Complete Gallery: PHOTOS

I had enough.  I had to leave the city to explore some wilderness.  Well trust me it is hard to call English nature wilderness.  But the Northumberland park for sure offers the closest experience to a wild environment in the whole North East England.

I set of early, with the dusk and got on a bus in Newcastle, which took me all the way to Greenhead, where I commenced my hike.  I got to the place that I pinned on the map and just rushed to the closest entrance to the Northumberland National park.

Greenhead is a very small village and to my surprise it hosts a youth hostel.  Before I set off I wanted to just sit down and have a cup of tea as I didn't get much sleep (the English party lifestyle won't let you have much of it) but there was nowhere to go.  Even though the youth hostel seemed like the only establishment where you could get something, half seven in the morning is just way too early.

I also wanted ask about the most convenient way to start the hike as the signage was not so clear.  But after I went through many fields I finally got to the long awaited Pennine way trail.  I started my hike with inspecting the Thirlwall Castle ruins and from there the direction was pretty clear.  Just head east.

Most of the hike lead through random farmer's sheep and cow fields but was absolutely astonishing.  Exactly what I needed after some time being stranded in the city.  The most amazing thing is the idea of following a wall that is 2000 years old.  And the wall stretches from the very west to the very east of England past Newcastle all the way to Wallsend.  Obviously with little interruptions but the most intact part of the wall goes from Greenshead to Chollerford, where I ended my hike (about 30km stretch).

Even though it is not allowed, I pitched my tent by the beautiful Crag Lough, about halfway through my hike, watched an amazing sunset and slept through a night with no one bothering me
.  All freshened up by the sleepover in the wilderness I set off for the rest of the hike.

If only I had a bit more time. I definitely would hike the whole trail all the way back to Newcastle.  Well maybe next time!