Camping along Hadrian's Wall

Q. Am looking at walking Hadrian's Wall this summer.

Would like to camp the whole route if possible.

Has anyone done this and if so what is the best place to find info on the camp sites. Wild sites not a problem if nothing else available.?

David Bray, Bruton

A. I walked the Hadrian's Wall path in March 05 and managed to camp the whole way, although I had to go a bit off trail near Carlisle.

My stops were: - Dandy Dinmot Campsite - just north of Carlisle - Roam and Rest Campsite - Greenhead - Greencarts Farm - approx 2 miles west of Chollerford - A Farm at Heddon-on-the-Wall - I forget the name of the farm, the landlady of the 3 Tuns down the road very kindly rang the farmer to ask if he could put me up.

Both the farms were in the process of building bunkhouses, the farmers were very friendly and let me camp in the garden. Everywhere was deserted in March but I gather it is worth booking well in advance for the summer.

The middle section of the walk, Greenhead to Chollerford is the hilliest and best bit, enjoy

Paul Herbert, Southampton

A. The National Trails Hadrian's Wall Path website has an interactive map/list of campsites.

It would seem that it wouldn't be possible to camp the whole route as there are some gaps and wild camping is discouraged.

However, there are bunkhouses and bunkbarns you could use to fill in the gaps.

Some of the campsites listed seem to be fairly basic and some of them are a bit off-route, so you'd have to build the extra distance into your planning.

Mike Knipe, Crook

A. Hi all. I did this walk June 2010 walking from Bowness on Solway to Wallsend and managed to camp the entire length no problem at all.

My first stop was West View camp-site in Grinsdale - great facilities. Next stop was Stonewalls camp-site in Laversdale just 1/2 a mile from Oldwall. Again great little place to stay. Next stop was Hadrians Wall campsite although just up the road was what seemed to be a better place to stay on the beaten track called Whiteheads Farm. Next stop was Chollerford riverside campsite again great place to stay.

All sites welcomed walkers and there dogs last stop for me or your first stop if your walking from Wallsend was Belvedere campsite in Low Harlow just outside Heddon on the wall and about 2 miles from the Robin Hood public house and your first or last stamping station. Great food and great beer.

Hope this helps and enjoy the walk it is fantastic.

Stu Hamilton, Hebburn

A. Wild Camping and The Law in England, Scotland and Wales.

Tents cannot be pitched just anywhere because every piece of Britain is owned by some individual or some organisation and according to the strict letter of the law permission must be obtained prior to pitching tent and camping.

In practice however, this is often impractical and wild camping is usually tolerated in the more remote areas - typically, more than half a day's walk from an official campsite or other accommodation providing you:

Keep groups small
Camp as unobtrusively as possible
Leave camp as you found it
Remove all litter (even other people's)
Carry out everything you carried in
Carry out tampons and sanitary towels (burying them doesn't work as animals dig them up again)
Choose a dry pitch rather than digging drainage ditches around a tent or moving boulders
Toilet duties should be performed 30m (100ft) from water and the results buried using a trowel
At all time, help preserve the environment
And if you are in any doubt about what you're doing, find out more

In Scotland, the current access legislation (which came into effect in early 2005) is explicit about your right to wild camp on hill land. However, there are exceptions. Since March 2011 you are not permitted to wild camp between Dryman and Rowardennan on the shore of Loch Lomond. See Loch Lomond Wild Camping Ban for more information.

There appears to be an exception to this with respect to camping in Dartmoor National Park where the right to wild camping is actually enshrined in the National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act, 1949 amendment Dartmoor Commons Act, 1985 - see Wild Camping in the UK for more details.

For the definitive answer with respect to wild camping in Scotland see the answer supplied by the Scottish Natural Heritage

For a few (tongue in cheek) tips on wild camping see Some Wild Camping Tips.

NB. go4awalk.com cannot offer any advice on suitable locations for wild camping - but click here for walks from exisiting campsites.

Hope this helps

Mike (Editor)

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