Day 5:

• Distance: 18.6 miles
• Accommodation: The Ship Wylam
• Map

The day started with a buffet breakfast, Sydney and I were treated to a table in a snug room all to ourselves as dogs weren’t allowed in the restaurant. After another full English we headed back to our room to pack my bag for the days walk and to wrap my bad foot up. I no longer had my walking boots as I was giving my wellies a try to relieve some of the heel pain. The day’s walk first crossed Chollerford Bridge, Chollerford meaning ‘ford in the gorge’. Then followed by quite the hill, rising up out of the gorge finding St Oswold in Lee Church built buy the monks of Hexham Abbey at the site of the Battle of Heavenfield AD635.

We then trundled through the Stanley Plantation and back out into open pasture. There were hundreds of trees strewn across the path, the Park had not shut the trail and it was a matter of finding our way through the bog to clamber over each tree, making sure it was safely hung on other trees before trying to climb over them.

The walk was more of a trudge on our fifth consecutive day on the wall, trudging past Halton Shields and Whittle Dene Reservoir ponds giving us views of grebes on the water. The final slog alongside the military road without much to see other than crop fields and listening to the road noise was certainly not my favourite day on the wall.

My final destination for the day was The Ship pub at Wylam. A lovely dog friendly pub that welcomed Sydney and I, sign posting us to a local park for Sydney’s loo breaks and providing us with a comfortable family room to put our feet up after a long day. I soaked in the bath before heading down the the bar for some pub grub, I had the juiciest, most delicious burger of my life (I don’t know if my hunger levels contributed to the amazing taste of the burger having only managed to get a pack of flapjack in at lunchtime). The staff were so considerate making sure Syndey had a bowl of water whilst I ate and brought her some doggy treats before we settled in for another early night.

Hadrian's Wall Path - Walking the Wall Long Distance Walking Trail National Trail Northumberland Northumberland National Park Pub public rights of way publicrightsofwayexplorer The Ship Wylam