This is it... This was the first ever National Trail Jo or I had ever done, it is one of the newest (it opened in 2003) and also at 84 miles one of the shortest. We had elected to do it from west to east, beginning at the village of Bowness-on-Solway, 15 miles west of Carlisle on the desolate Cumbrian coast, and finishing at Wallsend, a town east of Newcastle in the Tyneside conurbation famous for its shipyards. It was hard not to get the impression we were doing it the "Wrong" way as both our different guide books had the walk going from east to west, and also due to the large number of people we met coming the other way in the first few miles. "Just started?" Er yes...
Got the stamp - 5 more to goThere are 6 stamps that you can collect along the route, to go on a special card. Unfortunately we were unable to obtain one before the start so we decided to stamp the appropriate pages of our guide books instead, which would probably make for a more enduring souvenir of the walk anyway. The first was at the very beginning of the walk at a place known as The Banks, a piece of National Trust land on the edge of Bowness. It has a nice little "Entrance" with a good luck message for those departing (and congratulations for those arriving on the other side).
The Banks, Bowness-on-Solway
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
- Chinese Proverb
And also one of 84 miles - the beginning, on film:
Hmmm...
They're not kidding - as this photo from the tourist information boards (presumably taken in the 1970s with the Ribble red bus) testifiesOne thing we did like about the whole route was the number of unmanned "Honesty Cafes" there were - converted barns or stables where you could spend a penny then get yourself a cup of tea or a snack. And get a break from the rain...
Stopping in an "Honesty Cafe" in a converted farm building at Drumburgh
Not even halfway to Carlisle yet - the long, boring bit.
Statue of King Edward I at Burgh-by-Sands. At Burgh-by-Sands there is a fairly new, very impressive statue of King Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks (at 6' 2" he was a giant in the Medieval era) or Hammer Of The Scots. It was on such a campaign against Scotland that he died of dysentry in the village in 1307, shortly before he could cross The Solway. A local man we met told us that Scots living in the village are not happy that Edward's foot is on the Scottish crest on the statue's base.
Apparently Scots in the village are not happy as on the base his foot is on the Scottish crest
Dog with a stick, (I).
It wasn't me, honest! Railway bridge in Carlisle.
Crossing the M6
Strange plants near Crosby-on-EdenI forgot that plants that were chest-high to me would be head height to Jo...
Dog with a stick (II)
The Centurion Inn at Walton - excellent food and ales and a warm welcome
Inside Bankshead Camping Barn
Bankshead Camping Barn - RIP from September 2008
After leaving the soon to close Bankshead camping barn on Day 3 we were into classic "Wall Country", lots of up and down with the wall hugging the contours. We walked for a while with two gentlemen from south west London who were walking the Pennine Way (which shares the Hadrian's Wall walk route for a short distance). They were walking their route in three 90-mile chunks (the last being some years before).
Crossing the border
The highest point - Green Slack on Windshields Crags, 1,132 ft (345m)
The High Point Video:
Crag Lough viewed approaching Once Brewed
Real Ale heaven - the bar at the Twice Brewed Inn
Danny joined us (arriving at the YHA at 1am..!) for the rest of the journey from Once Brewed - roughly the halfway point of the journey.
Danny & Jo at Milecastle 39 - Crag Lough in the distance
"We're on the wall!":
Crag Lough viewed from the east 
The Mithraeum - temple to the Persian god Mithras at Brocolita
Shrine in the Mithraeum
High water - the North Tyne at Chollerford
Just after leaving the Robin Hood Inn we met a nice Dutch couple going the other way. The girl's soles were coming away from her boots, and her spare pair were in her bag which had been ferried on to their night stop still several miles away. At last, a chance to use the duct tape which I'd been carrying around in my pocket for the previous four years in case of such an eventuality!
Job's a good 'un!
My own boots were suffering a little by now too. The right one was leaking due to a slight separating of the sole near the ball of my foot (though nothing needing a repair like above). The almost incessant rain throughout July and August meant that the paths were very waterlogged and often very muddy - the type of conditions often associated with November rather than Summer.
Waterlogged path near the Robin Hood InnHowever, things could and did get worse - within minutes of taking the above photo the heavens opened, and a very heavy and prolonged rain shower ensued. There was little warning - the thunder and lightning were all after the storm had passed, which threatened more but thankfully we were not rained on again. I wonder if a "Whistling Bomb" effect applies to thunderstorms - you don't hear the one that gets you...
We were extemely wet after this, worse still the footpath following the Military Road was knee deep in water. Danny suggested we try the road itself but it was little better, large lakes forming in the dips. And that was before you considered the traffic...
Road or footpath? Either way we were up to our knees in it...
Aftermath of the deluge...
It's only water...
It was a relief to get to our final night-stop at Houghton North Farm, Heddon-on-the Wall. This is a fantastic place, the best description of it is that it is a privately-run Youth Hostel. Most of those we'd spoken to going the other way had stayed there and had nothing but praise for it. Most welcome was the cup of tea the owner Paula made for us on arrival! There were quite a few others staying there, including a couple of Canadian girls and an American archaeologist stopping by on her way back from Belarus. The majority however were from Norfolk and Suffolk, so there was a real East Anglian feel. We'd also met two other girls from Norfolk that day near the Robin Hood Inn who had stayed here the previous night as well.
Houghton North Farm
My boots were completely saturated after miles walking in water and would take a week to dry. Thankfully, they had served their purpose and were stuffed with newspaper, wrapped in a bin liner and would go ahead in my main luggage to Newcastle YHA. From here, with mostly hard surfaces of roads, pavements and cycle paths ahead I would use my walking trainers. A fair day was forecast and so it proved, mostly overcast but we had seen the last of the rain.
Houghton North Farm and into the Tyne Valley video:
The Tyne Valley with Newcastle in the distance
Ringing the bell before crossing the fairway, Heddon-on-the Wall
Crossing the A1
Crossing the A1 and Newcastle video:
Mud channels in the Tyne at low tide - Dunston Coal Staithes in the background
Walking through the industrial landscape of Newcastle was fascinating, a real contrast to the previous few days. I can't think of a city of comparable size with so many magnificent bridges. It was however noticeably harder on the feet than previous days, and I was thankful we wouldn't have to do any walking the following day.
Newcastle's famous Tyne Bridge and Swing Bridge
Baltic Flour Mills (1949), now an art gallery
The Tyne at St Anthony's
One thing the final stretch brought home was just how far east of Newcastle Wallsend actually is, particularly when following the meandering Tyne. Towards St Anthony's we actually headed south at one point and the distance from Wallsend on the GPS started to increase! Time was getting on and it soon became clear the Segedunum would have closed by the time we got there. Thankfully a garage 100 yards away from it served as an out-of-hours stamping venue so we could collect our last one.
Nearly there...At last the cranes of the Swan Hunter shipyard came into sight, followed by the viewing tower of the by now-closed Segedunum. We'd done it - but it was a bit of an anti-climax. Nobody felt like taking any photos in this dowdy urban environment, I only took the brief video clip below. Perhaps if we'd arrived earlier, with the Segedunum still open it'd have been different. Was this the right way to do it, rather than westwards? Difficult to tell. The gentleman at the garage stamped our books for us, and we ambled off towards Wallsend Metro Station for the journey to Newcastle YHA. More walking!
"So this is it?" Wallsend - The end:
Final day's statistics
The final stamp from the Segedunum - or rather the Total garage next door!The Statistics:
DAY 1 15-08-08 Bowness-on-Solway - Carlisle 14.6 miles
DAY 2 16-08-08 Carlisle - Bankshead 15.8 miles
DAY 3 17-08-08 Bankshead - Once Brewed 13.3 miles
DAY 4 18-08-08 Once Brewed - St Oswald's Farm 15.1 miles
DAY 5 19-08-08 St Oswald's - Heddon-on-the Wall 13 miles
DAY 6 20-08-08 Heddon-on-the Wall - Wallsend 15.6 miles
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