The Sill, the Wall and the wicket

 The Sill, the Wall and the Wicket. November 2nd

A Sunday walk with the Greens, starting from The Sill,  the modern Exhibition Centre, restaurant and Youth Hostel next door to the Twice Brewed pub and brewery on the Military Road (B6318). 

The Sill has a big car park, a whole day costs £6.

The map to use is OS OL 43 Hadrian's Wall, but not essential.

                                 Bit better?

                                      The Sill.

After breakfast in the Sill we crossed the Military Road (B6318) and walked towards the wall. Just past a house we went through a gate and paused to discuss which way to do the walk, with the clock or against it. The thought of getting the more difficult bit over with first and with the wind on ouir backs decided for us, anticlockwise and off we went, down hill to join the wall. Then immediately uphill.

Peel Crags, the wall sloping uphill on the right.

This section of Hadrian's famous wall is undulating, the up and down bits are steep in places  but on most of the ascents and descents paths made from large stones have been made. Still a bit of hard work at times though.

Not too far into the walk we came across the stump of the famous Sycamore Gap tree.

The Sycamore Gap stump. Felled in October 2023 by a couple of idiots it really came to fame in Kevin Costner's film "Robin Hood, Prince of  Thieves" Their act caused uproar. The tree trunk is in the Exhibition Centre in the Sill.

After a mile or so we reached Crag Lough, the wall is high above it, it's my favourite bit of wall, first visited in 1965!

                      Crag Lough from the west

After several more ups and downs we reached the section of wall near Housesteads, probably the best known of the forts along the wall, and called Vercovicium by the Romans. Run by the National Trust it's a popular visitor attraction. But we sat on the wall outside and ate our lunch. No sharing with the Greens. As there were nine of us it was probably as well.

Moving on, and meeting only a couple more pairs of ups and downs we reached the King's Wicket, a stile and a gate in the wall. (Nearly mile 4) 

                               The King's Wicket. I don't know how it got its name.

Once through we turned west and headed back following a path across fields. At times the path was very muddy, but it gave a different view of Crag Lough.

                               Crag Lough from the north side of the wall'

As we approached the car park on Steel Rigg (mile 7) we turned south, crossed a field and were back at the gate by the house where we started, almost. We walked own to the Sill and went to the Twice Brewed pub/restaurant/ brewery next door, first visited in 1965!

               The Twice Brewed 

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2025

The walk is just under 8 miles. The half along the wall is the best for views and history. It's a section of a long distance walk of about 80 miles, there were a few walkers out today as well as a few people just out for a stroll.

A few wall pictures

                                    The Pennine Way crosses the wall

                              Milecastle

                 Gate on north side of Housesteads

                         The Sill