Hadrian's Wall Path To Open In May

The Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail will open in May 2003 and for the first time walkers will be able to walk the entire length of the wall along an unbroken 84-mile path.

Due to be officially unveiled on 23 May, the new path is part of a £6 million investment by the Countryside Agency aimed at opening up the area to tourists and boost the local economy at the same time as protecting the Wall and associated remains for future generations. Finance is by two Heritage Lottery Fund grants totalling some £3.14 million.

Work on the path has included building special steel and timber footbridges, installing gates and stiles and using environmentally friendly methods to prepare the path for the estimated 20,000 walkers a year who are expected to complete the entire path.

The Path

The path itself will run from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west taking in the cities of Newcastle and Carlisle along the way. It will follow the 117km, 2000-year old wall, which is a world heritage site and was orginally built by the Romans to keep the barbaric Picts and Scots in their place north of the border.

As well as the complete walk, which will take around a week to complete, there are also some 40 shorter itineraries aimed at day walkers and tourists. It's a fantastically wild area with dramatic crags - some good climbing at Crag Lough too - desolate moors and historic interest from the remains of the 11 main forts along the wall.

For many though, the hightlight of the walk will be the distinctive tree featured in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and OUTDOORSmagic is campaigning vigorously for a life-sized statue of Kevin Costner to be erected at this point on the wall...