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Jim Please remember to follow the undulating wall itself is quite strenuous walking - but you can follow its route on a less arduous path, lower down below the wall.

Geoff Craven Thanks again Jim for a view of one of those places still to be seen. You do a very good job.

Jim This is the famous Twice Brewed Inn on the B6318 the Military Road, beneath Steel Rigg...

Jim ..and its cosy bar, enjoyed by all our rambling club members when we did the walk proper, it provides meals and has accomodation. Photo from the pub's website www.twicebrewedinn.co.uk

Jim A view of Housteads taken from the air.

Jim This is what a milecastle actually looked like.

carole green Thanks Jim, always enjoy your slide shows, couldnt believe it when I saw this, my son is organising a walk with his friends to do the full length of the wall, we are driving the mini bus for them and doing some of the walk as well, I will show him this, we had just been talking on the phone about it before I opened this email, what a coincidence, thanks again x

Jim Hadrian's Wall is 73 miles long, and was built on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian between 122 - 30AD. It ran from the west coast south of Carlisle to the mouth of the River Tyne on the east coast

Jeannie USA thoroughly enjoyed the walk, with no blisters or aching feet. Lovely photos. Saw Hadrian's Gate in Athens this year !

Jim Before returning to open landscape.

Jim There are some steep sections - but no gain without pain.

Jim We reach the farm - built no doubt with stone taken from the wall, as were most local buildings, walls, and even churches. It was a ready supply without the effort of quarrying.

Jim On and on we go, hugging the side of the wall.

Jim .. as it follows the contours of the ridge.

Jim The lake near Housteads comes into view.

Jim Frank pauses at a Pennine Way sign.

Jim The long distance footpath of the Pennine Way crosses the wall at this point, as it follows Englands mountain spine 267 miles from Edale inthe south to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders.

Jim A good view of that lower, easier path that can make the walk less srenuous.

Jim Getting nearer to Housteads and another famous view of the wall.

Jim . at last we eventually reach the wooded section..

Jim ..where you are actually walking on top of the wall itself - one of the few places you are allowed to on this World Heritage site.

Jim Well, that's it folks, hope you enjoyed the walk, and that you might want to try it for yourself someday. Cheers, Jim

Jim Our walk's end, we leave the wall here to walk down to Housteads Fort the most complete Roman fort in Britain with its barracks, granary and even latrine all set out.

Jim This is the entrance to the Fort's layout, we took time out to walk half a mile to the visitors centre for some refreshments, before returning to the wall and walking back to Steel Rigg.

Jim In the museum we saw how the Roman soldiers wore fur jackets and leggings against the Northumbrian winters - a week later we returned and did it all again, leading our walking club members.

Jim I did the walk with a friend, starting from the small isolated car park at Steel Rigg and following the undulating contours of the wall to Housteads Fort 2 hours away. You could start at Housteads.

Jim Suggest pausing this car park map to view the route. We started where it says You Are Here.

Jim Friend Frank..

Jim ..and myself at Steel Rigg - enjoying a coffee before setting off.

Jim Out of the car park and Frank looks at the view of the wall snaking along the Whin Sill, that I first saw on a dark January morning and promised myself I would come back and walk it. So here we are.

Jim Behind him you can see the wall climbing to the ridge.

Jim You follow the path..

Jim ..to reach a ladder stile over the wall.

Jim We climb over, followed by a young family, in the background you can see the famous Twice Brewed Inn on the main road. More about this later.

Jim Now the wall lies ahead

Jim .. you just follow it - which is the hardest way.

Jim The wall was built in sections by squads of Roman soldiers - here you see the offset joint where two squads joined up.

Jim Paving slabs help on some steep sections.

Jim .. here Frank crosses a ladder stile.

Jim Onward and upward.

Jim In the distance we get our first glimpse of Crag Lough below the Whin Sill.

Jim ..time for a breather, Frank sits on the 2000 year old wall...

Jim ...a great place to have a break and take in the view of Crag Lough, the small lake below the crags of the Whin Sill.

Jim A milecastle - built every mile of the entire Wall and manned by 30 soldiers...

Jim These were the access points through the wall - here you are looking at the northern most boundry of the mighty Roman Empire.

Jim The gateway on the Roman side of the milecastle, in the distance the gate to the "barbarians" side of the wall.

Jim These milecastles were the Checkpoint Charlies of the wall, civillians entered or left via them, after vetting by the legioneries

Jim The wall hugs the outcrop of the Whin Sill this must be the most iconic view of Hadrian's Wall - and most photographed.

Jim Eight feet wide and originally fifteen feet high.

Jim Below the wall a lower, less strenuous path is an option for the walk, this was used by the Romans to transport supplies to the milecastle garrisons.

Jim Now we reach the steep dip of Sycamore Gap ( named after its distinctive tree) and its old well.

Jim I said it was steep..

Jim Down in Sycamore Gap, this is Kevin Costner's Robin Hood tree in the film..

Jim Now the climb out - a good view of the wall's construction.

Jim This is the path up the side of it.

Jim Here I am standing above the Crag Lough itself.

Jim .. watching rock climbers..

Jim ..enjoying an afternnoon's climbing.

Jim All round it is superbly wild and open - and so quiet!!

Jim We can see the trees (centre) that are above Housteads Fort.

Jim .. but first we walk through a small wood.

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