Hadrian's Wall Adventure

This story begins as so many others of mine do...    I was drunk! 

Back in May, Sarah Williams invited me to dinner at her house.  There was wine and prosecco, and plenty of it.  Sarah pinned me to the ground and force fed me glass after glass of all kinds of potent concoctions.  And, as soon as I was incapable of making informed decisions she slapped me with the big question... "Emma... do you fancy running Hadrian's Wall with me?"  She knew that in my confused state I wouldn't be able to defend myself, and that was it.  I was committed.

Yeah yeah, we all know that isn't true.  Well, the force-feeding part anyway.  So, we made this plan back in May, and actually did no further planning until the evening before we set off in August.  And there may have been some more booze involved then too.

​The great thing about the trails in the UK is that you can buy these leaflet map things made by Harvey which have all the necessary bits of info you need to get you through the trail.  Beyond that, if you have experience in the outdoors, then all you need to do is grab your kit and go.  It couldn't be easier.

Luckily we sorted out a support team and a car so we didn't need to carry all our kit on our backs.  Each day Taff would go ahead, and find food and accommodation, which meant we just needed to focus on completing the task of running or as it turned out, walking. ​

What a badass team!

During day two, after running the whole way up till then, Sarah felt something strange in her foot.  We still aren't sure what happened, but her foot gradually swelled up more and more to the point where running wasn't an option.  She was determined to complete the whole trail though and we decided to change the trip from a run to a walk instead.

The thing I love about having an adventure is that even if you don't fully complete the trip in the way that you planned to, it's still an adventure.  You can be flexible.  We can adapt, and you never know what you might learn in the process.

For us, walking meant we were able to speak more to each other as we weren't pushing our bodies so hard.  We had some great brainstorming sessions, got to learn more about each other and develop our friendship.  It turned out to be quite therapeutic.  Fresh air and exercise inspires creative thinking.  Going at a slower pace we were also able to take in more of our surroundings and see the amazing views.  Without this drunken evening in May, I would possibly never have explored this beautiful part of our country.

I want to give you more info about the trail but I'm not going to bore you with a blow by blow account of our daily activities.  Although, I do like to tell the odd 'toilet' story!  Luckily for you, Sarah made a smashing collection of movies for me to share with you...

Day one: 

Day two: 

Day three: 

Day four: 

Day five:

A few final bits of advise for anyone thinking of tackling The Wall...

• I would say that if you get the Harvey map you should be fine with basic navigational skills, unless there is bad weather.  If you lost the track due to fog or rain then you would probably want to be familiar with using a compass and map, or have very good knowledge of the area.  
• Perhaps take a spare map.  As they are so light weight, it could fly away or get lost.
• Get the stamp book (passport) for extra excitement and send off for a badge at the end!!
• Check campsites or any accommodation still exists before setting off.
• Be aware some areas of the wall are full of tourists and in others you'll be alone.
• Make food plans.  There aren't many shops around.  Think ahead.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and had some giggles along with me and Sarah in the videos. If you have any comments please pop them below and if you are inspired to tackle the Hadrian's Wall Path, I'd love to hear about it.  

Thanks and keep following. X