Hadrian's Wall & The Lake District

Hadrian's Wall & The Lake District

Introduction

Historical Theme Literature and Film Photography Cruising Gardens

The landscape that inspired Wordsworth and Coleridge is our home for this six-day journey across the romantic Lake District and rugged Northumberland.

Following the course of Hadrian's Wall, we trek through wild, unpopulated country, climbing low fells and high crags, crossing open moorland and following remote bridleways. We see Roman towns, bathhouses and military forts, meander through sleepy northern villages and eat hearty pub lunches.

A highlight of this trip is our time at Lake Windermere, the largest and most impressive of the lakes. Here we visit Rydal Mount, Wordsworthâs elegant home, and Beatrix Potter's garden at Hill Top.

Walk Summary

Dates
Trip

6 days, 5 nights

Terrain

Hadrian's Wall stretches before us to distant horizons; we follow its course, dipping and rising into Britains wildest unpopulated areas. Ferries glide us over lakes; we walk on the shores and climb low fells up to open moorland. Modest hills each day, with two rising between 200 and 300ft. 8-10 miles of moderate to energetic walking each day with the Wayfarers van always at hand.

Price

US$3,695.00 per person double occupancy
(single supplement US$420.00)
Pay in full on booking to receive US$400 per person Currency Bonus

Walk begins at Chollerford, with arrival at Newcastle-upon-Tyne; walk ends in Windermere, with departure from Oxenholme Rail Station.

Walk Itinerary

Sunday

We rendezvous in Newcastle and drive to Corbridge, to visit the extensive remains of the ancient Roman town before we head off to Chesters, a Roman Fort built astride the Wall. The Bath House is regarded as one of the most complete in Britain and its unique riverside setting must be the most romantic. We walk to our hotel for an Introductory Talk and Welcome Dinner.

Overnight: Chollerford

Monday

Mountain Bikingis availableToday we walk along Hadrian's Wall, its fine condition testament to the brilliance of Roman engineers. At Housesteads, a fort occupied by several military units for three hundred years, we take time to contemplate the ruins before rejoining our path on the high crag. We descend to a welcome pub lunch at Twice Brewed. Our journey along the Wall dips and rises as we continue our day's walking in the footsteps on the Legions. We travel west to our hotel on the banks of Ullswater.

Overnight: Near Pooley Bridge

Tuesday

Antique Shopping is availableWe walk along the banks of the River Eamont to Barton church and along lanes and bridleway tracks to the serene village of Askham, where we lunch at the famous Queen's Head pub. Then to the remote village of Helton before heading over Askham Fell where people of past millennia built Cairn Circles and Tumuli and where now only hardy sheep live and graze the heather.

Overnight: Near Pooley Bridge

Wednesday

We enjoy first views of the impressive hills and mountains of the Lake District and magnificent Ullswater is in view to our right as we wander to How Town for the ferry to Glenridding and a pub lunch. We drive over dramatic Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck, a sleepy old village above the valley, from where we walk along tracks, through farms and woodlands, to the shores of Windermere and our lakeside hotel.

Overnight: Windermere

Thursday

Water Sports are availableFishing is availableWe board a launch across Lake Windermere before we begin our morning's walk along the peaceful banks of the lake. A woodland walk brings us to Far Sawrey for lunch in the village pub. We visit Beatrix Potter's garden at Hill Top and set off again enjoying the classic views of Langdale Valley and Fells. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight beside the lake.

Overnight: Windermere

Friday

After breakfast, we visit Wordsworth's Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount, his final home. We continue to the rail station at Oxenholme for onward connections.

This itinerary represents a typical Walk. We prepare itineraries well in advance of the trip and therefore we reserve the right to make changes due to weather, local events or other circumstances - but always to improve the experience of our guests.

Hotels

To see the complete list of hotels, please login or register.

Macdonald Leeming House - Monday & Tuesday

Ullswater
Nr. Penrith
Cumbria CA11 0JJ

T: +44 (0)1768-486-622
W: www.leeminghouse.co.uk

Once the private residence of the local Bolton Family, this two hundred year old house is surrounded by 22 acres of lush gardens and woodland leading down to the shore of Ullswater in the glorious Lake District Countryside. Everything on the menu is homemade at the hotel's Regency Restaurant. The style of the menus is simplicity, using only the finest local produce and ingredients so as not to complicate or detract from their integrity.

The Macdonald Leeming House boasts 39 beautifully appointed en-suite bedrooms. A number of these also enjoy superb views over the gardens towards the lake and are all furnished to a very high standard. All have private bathroom ensuite and satellite television, telephone dataport for internet connection together with all the additional facilities one would expect.

This hotel list is a provided as an example. We may use different hotels of the same quality and style on specific trips. The Wayfarers will notify confirmed travelers of any changes to the hotels.

Photo Gallery

Living History! Relaxing on the trail. Hadrian\'s Wall up close. The scenery has legs! Hadrian\'s Wall Ullswater in The Lake District. A cruise on Lake Windermere. Wordsworths\' Headstones. Dove Cottage Lake Windermere Lake Windermere Rydal Mount, Home of William Wordsworth

Travel Information

Before & After Your Walk:

  • Check out the Northern Lakes, centered on Keswick
  • Take the Carlisle-to-Settle train for Englands most spectacular railway journey

Weather:

Temperatures usually range from around 45º to 65ºF (7º to 18ºC) in spring/autumn and from 60º to 70º F (15º to 21ºC) in summer although it can rise to above 80º F (27ºC) on some days. You are likely to need a light jacket or sweater in the evenings. Rainfall is unpredictable but occurs all year round and can be heavy, even in summer. Equally there can be long spells of warm dry weather so you will need to bring clothing to accommodate all situations.

To see more Travel Information and a list of our recommended tips please register or sign in. Once you confirm a booking for this walk, as a registered website member, you will be able to access detailed Joining Instructions including exact arrival and departure points and times as part of the Travel Information.

FAQs

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  1. Are there any hidden costs?
    Our Vacations do not include the cost of air or rail fares to and from the destination or tips for your walk leader and manager.
  2. How large are the Groups?
    Our maximum group size is 16, but groups average between 8-12 people.
  3. Will I feel welcome as a single traveler?
    Yes! Our walks are the perfect environment of comfortable camaraderie for the single traveler.
  4. Can you accomodate special diets?
    Yes!
  5. How physically fit do I have to be to do a Wayfarers Walk?
    If you are in good health and reasonably fit you will be comfortable participating in a walk.

Ask a question

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Reading List

Hadrian's Wall By: William Dietrich
Page turning historical novel. Adventure and passion.
Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 By: Nick Fields
Land of the Lakes By: Melvyn Bragg
Notes from a Small Island By: Bill Bryson
The English Landscape By: Bill Bryson
Romans & Barbarians By: Derek Williams
Roman Frontier function in Empire Political Life
A Walk Around the Lakes By: Hunter Davis
A Walk Through Britain By: John Hillaby
A Writer's Britain By: Margaret Drabble
Boudica Series By: Manda Scott
Historical Novels. AD 51 Britannia under Roman occupation.
Delighted with Grasmere: The Idyll of the Vale By: Jane West
The English: A Portrait of a People By: Jeremy Paxman
The Herries Chronicles By: Hugh Walpole
The Hired Man By: Melvyn Bragg
The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England By: Antonia Fraser
The Maid of Buttermere By: Melvyn Bragg
The Making of the English Landscape By: W. G. Hoskins
The Secret Lion: Fact/Fiction History By: C. W. Gortner
The Tale of Beatrix Potter By: Margaret Lane
Wainwright in Lakeland By: A. E. Wainwright
Will in the world: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare By: Stephen Greenblatt
Wordsworth’s Lake District By: W. R. Mitchell
Wordworth's Guide to the Lakes By: William Wordsworth

What's Next?

At this point we would like to thank you for looking at our website, we hope you will have seen a little of the places we walk to, hotels we stay in and that we have answered some of your questions.

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