Walk along Hadrian's Wall in England

“Walking Hadrian’s Wall is a great experience. I had never ventured that far north in England before, and I loved passing through all the different landscapes. From the heart of Newcastle to the wild landscapes of Northumberland National Park. From gentle rolling farmland in Cumbria to sweeping horizons as you approach Bowness on Solway. These changes bring with them different challenges. Sometimes the challenge is that you’re following a long straight road and it’s boring (often a remnant of the Military Road built in the 18th Century to deal with Jacobites). Sometimes it’s that you’ve been going up and down crags all morning and your ankles need a rest. This isn’t like walking the Appalachian Trail or anything though. Normally there is a pub to finish the day at followed by a comfortable bed. Or even a pub at lunchtime if you’re lucky! And like any experience over a long(ish) duration, I found that one challenge is remembering what you’re there for. When you’ve been walking alongside the wall for a while, you need to force yourself to take a moment every now and then to really think about it. This is Roman! It’s been here for millennia! What a privilege to be able to do this for a week!”

“This involved walking for 10+ hours per day, including hourly stops for sitting down and drinking water. Every other hour, I also had something to eat. On Thursday, I packed up at 03:30 in the rain and walked from 04:00 to 10:00 with only two stops. This was the only day I developed two small blisters. Completing this challenge, one that I set myself only on Monday afternoon, was a great feeling. It was a bit of a grandstand finish, as it was touch-and-go as to whether I’d get to Wallsend in time! In the end, I walked myself into a kind of semi-trance-like state fuelled by sugar and caffeine.”