Hadrian’s Wall Path

Guidebook for walking the national trail along Hadrian's wall between Bowness-on-Solway and Wallsend in Newcastle, the 84 mile route is described for walking in either direction. A World Heritage Site, Hadrian’s Wall is a famous frontier, combining striking natural landscapes with monumental remains. The guidebook is divided into 22 stages, with detailed mapping showing the Roman remains beneath your feet.

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17/16: Steel Rigg - Cawfields Quarry

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Distance: 3 miles/5km

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The highest station and the greatest views –
does it get any better? We’ll see…

WESTBOUND 17 Crossing the minor road via the facing wall-stiles. The Path begins the steady ascent to Winshields Crags, the highest point on the Whin Sill and, therefore, on the entire National Trail. Through a gateway, with a field-wall to the right and the north ditch beyond, rise to a hand-gate: keen eyes might notice not only the Military Way emerging from the left but a small grassy rectangle adjacent to the field-wall, another unexcavated medieval shieling. Directly above the hand-gate a platform gives a clue to the site of Milecastle 40, the fenced gap further emphasising its position; some loose stones lie on the east side.

The Wall as it continues is quite uncharacteristic of any other Wall rebuild – more akin to vertical crazy paving. The Wall foundations make an early presage for a short resumption of consolidated Wall; only on the last step to the summit does field-wall begin, and then fencing, at the broad space alongside the old Ordnance Survey column.

Some 20 years ago a telescope stood here giving the energetic visitor the opportunity to gaze at a marvellous panorama. The view stretches from Cross Fell, the highest summit in the Pennine chain within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, down to the south; and extends to the northern horizon, limited by the Border Forests of Wark, Spadeadam and Kielder. Westward gaze into Scotland to Criffel, across the Solway from Bowness; nearer, Gillalees Beacon is visible, upon which the Romans built a beacon to communicate between the scouting outpost fort Fanum Cocidii (Bewcastle) and the Wall fort Banna (Birdoswald).

In the immediate country to the north below this great scarp lie a dozen farmsteads, which originally would have been summer shielings, spread out, in typical Scandinavian fashion, equidistant across a broad, low moorland vale. From this spot the sense of being above, and yet within, a breathing landscape is profound. During the ascent from the Military Road the gusting winds appear to have blow the ‘d’ out of the hill-name – hence we have Winshields Crag and Windshields Farm.

In the very next dip a wooden sign directs a footpath down the dry valley to Windshields Farm, a useful camp-site for walkers travelling light across the land. There are some steep descents in this next section beside a semi-field-Wall; after a dip by a hand-gate, the Path rises again beside the thick Wall which is, to all intents, a Clayton Wall minus a turf cap. Go through a further hand-gate then up the next bank to the earthen platform of Milecastle 41.

A substantial descent leads into the north-facing combe of Bogle Hole, ‘the goblin’s hollow’, its name betraying local superstitions about the haunt of evil little folk. A final steep descent puts the Path onto the road at Caw Gap; cross, via the facing kissing-gates, to embark upon a superb section of consolidated Wall. Pass the outline of Turret 41a, skipping over a sequence of three stiles before steeply stepping down to Thorny Doors (ignore the hand-gate). Here the Wall momentarily stands 14 courses high coping with the pitch of the slope. This next gently declining passage is truly delightful, consolidated Wall running alongside the wooded scarp of Cawfields Crags.

It is rare to wander this way and not encounter rooks, their chattering antics giving rise to the crag- and farm-name Cawfields, ‘farmland frequented by rooks, crows and jackdaws’.

The Wall snakes down to Milecastle 42, set awkwardly on a slope above Hole Gap. The natural weakness in the Whin Sill was purposefully blocked, forcing carts to plod through this steep control. To get a good view, climb to the top of the truncated peak opposite the kissing-gate; the milecastle looks jaunty, but doubtless the auxiliaries and native Brits will have used a different adjective. The north gate masonry is substantial – notice the guide-lines etched on the top surface of the stones. A great tower stood over this gateway, making this quite a landmark; it appears that the fort and milecastle towers were the ‘crows’ nests’ of the frontier, which explains why the turrets were removed and why, indeed, current thinking has dismissed the notion of a wall-top walkway. The vallum is a striking feature all along the dip slope from Cawfields, with the Stanegate converging upon a cluster of marching camps above Haltwhistle Burn just to the south. Looking south see the Milecastle Inn, now named after the Milecastle 42, although it was once known as the North Jerry. A ‘jerry’ was a beer-house with the ale served in jugs for the navvies building the Military Road and for later travellers.

In this vicinity both Roman and later bell-pit shafts were sunk to exploit the excellent quality coal found close to the surface. Haltwhistle lies down the valley from here. The town’s proud boast is that it is the ‘Centre of Britain’, and the centre for the Wall it most certainly is. Some visitors have construed the name to mean a place for whistle-stop visits. Local hoteliers are not too keen on that perception; they would wish visitors to know it really means ‘the wood and the meeting of streams’ – which is not half as much fun.

The Path slips via hand-gates to Cawfields Quarry picnic site and car park, with the very chilled waters of a quarry pond lending added sparkle to the scene. Watch out for six-foot black frogs – as frogmen frequently use the site for scuba diving training (book through National Park Rangers should you be interested!).EASTBOUND 16 The Path leaves the car park along the path beside the quarry pool, and proceeds via kissing-gates to Hole Gap. Bear up left by Milecastle 42; the lower section of the consolidated Wall is fenced off because it is too low for stock-proofing. Ascend beside the fine stretch of Wall along the rising ridge of Cawfields Crags, stepping up above Thorny Doors via stiles. Advance by Turret 41a to cross the Caw Gap road by facing kissing-gates. The roller-coaster ridge climbs and dips beside the semi-field-Wall, by Bogle Hole and the grassy earthworks of Milecastle 41. Proceeding by hand-gates it rises to the Ordnance Survey pillar on the top of Winshields Crags, the highest point on the entire walk. Soon a further stretch of consolidated Wall is passed on the easy descent to Milecastle 40; then, by a hand-gate and later gateway, decline gently, with the impressive view of the Wall scarps to Peel, Highshield and Hotbanks Crags straight ahead.