We appeal to such a wide range of guests, some popping inland from Newcastle who need a short recharge from their busy city life, others who travel worldwide from Canada, USA or New Zealand to walk the UNESCO World Heritage site, Hadrian’s Wall and visit the famous Roman forts. Each guest may have a specific set of questions particularly if they arrive by public transport and not by car. Here are some frequently asked questions answered for those arriving on foot. Actually these are helpful for those in cars too!
Do you allow a one night stay?
No unfortunately we don’t however we have many folk walking the wall stay with us for tow nights or more and we help with bus timetables and drop offs and collections in our vehicles where we can.
Do you provide food?
We provide essentials like milk, butter, tea and coffee but are very happy to leave you some eggs, bread, fruit or items on request if you are on foot. Just let us know when you have booked and place your requests. We can also give you a lift to the supermarket in Haltwhistle if you would like to stock up.
Can you collect us from the train station?
Yes absolutely! Let us know your train times and we will be there to collect from either Bardon Mill or Haltwhistle
Is the AD122 bus reliable?
Yes absolutely it is but there aren’t many, only around one an hour. Here is more info on the bus
Do you have a suggested route along Hadrian’s Wall?
Yes! We suggest walking from West to East so that the wind from the Atlantic is behind you along Hadrian’s Wall as it can make a big difference on the energy you need to complete each leg. It can be particularly unpleasant if you have driving rain in your face the whole way!
The most dramatically beautiful and famous stretch runs from Chollerford to Brampton with us centrally located between the two at Steel Rigg near Sycamore Gap. For a three day walk covering the central section, we suggest Day One from Lanercost Priory in Brampton as your starting point finishing at Twice Brewed- Steel Rigg (this is our location) Day Two; from Twice Brewed to Chollerford, then Day Three; Chollerford to Heddon on the Wall.
More info can be found on our “how long does it take to walk Hadrian’s Wall” blog
Can you collect us from stop and start points along Hadrian’s Wall?
Yes absolutely! Always happy to help when we can.
Can you recommend a luggage handler?
Yes, we regularly have luggage dropped to the hut when our guests are on foot. If you want to arrange baggage handling for your wall trip get in touch with these guys Hadrian’s Haul they are great!
Can you suggest additional stops eastwards and west of you?
Yes some guests stay with us for a rest before moving on. Westwards we’d recommend Dacre House in Gilsland or further over to Carlisle you might like as a treat the rather grand Warwick Hall then over Eastwards in Chollerford the fabulous George Hotel is a great stop on the edges of the South Tyne.
Can you recommend breakfast and packaged lunches near you?
Yes the YHA at the end of the road- a couple of minutes walk serves breakfast from 7am to 9am and the Twice Brewed Inn and Visitors Centre Sill Cafe (part of the YHA building) offer packaged lunches and breakfast from 9 and 10am.
Where is best for drinks on foot?
The Twice Brewed Inn has its own brew house and they have an excellent selection of really top quality home brewed ales, lagers, stouts and 0% ales too. They have a restaurant which has recently been good quality due to a new permanent chef as of later 2025.
Where is best for food on foot?
The Twice Brewed Inn has good pub food and the Milecastle has a wonderful atmosphere and is a traditional stone pub with the most fantastic homemade pies! The salmon dish is always good too. They don’t do food on a Wednesday.
How close to Sycamore Gap is Hadrian’s Wall Huts?
About a mile and around 20 minutes walk from the door. The exhibition with a section of the tree (that you can hug!) is housed at the end of our road in The Sill visitors centre.
Is there a pub within walking distance of Hadrian’s Wall Huts?
Yes the Twice Brewed Inn in 2 minutes bring a head torch for your return!
Do you allow pets, we’d like to bring our dog?
Unfortunately we do have a no dog policy that we can’t be flexible on due to nearby live stock and accommodating guests with allergies. Because of our location in surrounding farmland dogs always must be on a lead so dog walking is restrictive. Our guests often love having a break from responsibilities like kids and dogs and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Can you recommend long and short walks from the door?
Short- 1 hour circular 2.8 miles from door left out of gate to Steel Rigg, Westwards following the wall high to Winshields Trig Point (highest point of Hadrian’s Wall) for 360 views North to the Cheviots and South to the Pennines. Walk down towards Winshields farm and left on to the road to return to the hut. Wear good footwear for bogs, windproof clothing, always expect rain and assume it will be 5 degrees colder up there than down at the hut!
Mid- 3-4 hours for there and back (about 6 miles return) Steel Rigg to Housesteads and back (or return on the bus)
Mid- to Milecastle pub and back walking westwards to Cawfields quarry and on to the Milecastle pub-closed for food Wednesdays. About a 6 mile round trip- we advise to walk up on the wall and not on the lower main road- the traffic is fast and they take no prisoners so it won’t be much fun.
Long- 11 miles to Walltown, so around 22 miles there and back. So this one will be an all dayer! Plan a stop at the Milecastle to refuel- just not a Wednesday as they are closed
What day trips can we plan whilst staying in Northumberland?
There are some amazing sights in the North East and Northumberland. We recommend an easy trip on the bus to Hexham which is 20 minutes away on the bus- catch it from the Sill or the Inn, visit the pretty town centre with ancient Hexham Abbey, independent shops, restaurants and traditional cinema.
Fancy the coast? Train to Newcastle then a metro to Tynemouth Beach, try the Steam & Salt sauna swim experience on Longsands and eat at Riley’s Fish Shack on King Edwards Bay.
Vindolanda fort museum is a great visit, you can see live excavations, sign up to a tour and grab lunch at the cafe. There are footpaths around the site too you can add to your mileage! You can reach Vindolanda Roman Fort on foot in 15 minutes. Book tickets ahead at peak times https://www.vindolanda.com/roman-vindolanda-fort-museum
Where is your nearest airport?
Newcastle Airport is only one hour away. You can take a metro to Newcastle Central Station from the airport around half an hour and then catch a Carlisle train to Haltwhistle or Bardon Mill which takes one hour.
How far from the ferry terminal are you (this one is for the Dutch, Luxembourgers, German, French and Belgians)
About one hour from North Shields terminal and ferries travel there from Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The drive to us goes through the city of Newcastle if you wanted to stop on route.
Can you heat the sauna timed for our return from our walk?
Absolutely that’s what it’s for! Text us your eta and we shall get it toasty for you. See our blog about our new sauna here
Hadrian's Wall Huts 