← Kirkbride Marathon·3 nights

Hadrian's Wall and Newcastle: Three Nights Heading East

One contained Roman site and no long trail, then east along the Tyne Valley to a flight from Newcastle.

Duration3 nights
TransitRoad to Carlisle, then Northern along the Tyne Valley to Newcastle
DepartsKirkbride

After the Kirkbride Marathon: Hadrian's Wall and Newcastle

The Route: Kirkbride → Carlisle (2 nights) → Birdoswald → Newcastle (1 night) → Newcastle Airport Logistics: Road to Carlisle, an HW1 bus day trip to the Wall if it runs, then train east and the Metro to the airport. Marathon Month: June Duration: 3 nights

Kirkbride ──(road)──> Carlisle ──(HW1 bus)──> Birdoswald ──(HW1 bus)──> Carlisle
                          │
                  (Northern, Tyne Valley)
                          │
Newcastle Airport (NCL) ◄──(Metro)── Newcastle Central

The Kirkbride Marathon finishes close to the western end of Hadrian's Wall, and the sensible thing to do on the Monday is look at a small part of it. Walking the whole Wall is a week-long undertaking. You are not doing that.

June along the Wall gives long daylight, with sunset close to 22:00 in Carlisle, but the exposed ground is wet and windy often enough to plan for it. Several sites and the HW1 bus have seasonal operating patterns, so check dates for race week.

Nights One and Two: Carlisle

Take a prebooked car from Kirkbride to Carlisle, allowing 30 to 45 minutes. Carlisle Station Hotel sits beside the station, which suits an itinerary with trains in it, and Premier Inn Carlisle Central North has free parking if you are driving. Ask each about luggage storage before you arrive.

On the second day take the HW1 bus from Carlisle to Birdoswald Roman Fort. English Heritage lists the connection, but whether it runs in race week is unconfirmed. Check the timetable and the opening day. The approach from the car park is uphill and the archaeological areas are uneven, so this is more demanding than it sounds. Choose the fort and its museum and skip the sloping, stepped walk down to Willowford. Return to Carlisle for the night so you are not carrying bags around a ruin.

Night Three: Newcastle

On the third day take the Northern service east through the Tyne Valley to Newcastle, using the operator's timetable for the eastbound journey, since the westbound baseline of about 1 hour 35 minutes is only a guide. Corbridge Roman Town is a possible stop. English Heritage places it about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) from Corbridge station, too far to call an easy walk the day after a marathon, and luggage storage there is not confirmed. Take a taxi or skip it.

Stay in Newcastle, close to the station, so the final morning is a Metro ride and not a taxi.

Getting to Newcastle Airport

The Metro runs from Newcastle Central to Newcastle Airport (NCL) in around 25 minutes. Check the first Metro of the day against your flight time.