Compare the six itineraries
Same trail, same inclusions, same B&Bs. The table below shows the only things that genuinely differ: how many days you walk, how far each day, and what that does to the price and the experience.
| Itinerary | Route | Walking days | Nights | Typical day | Hardest day | From (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Whin Sill Short Break
Fit walkers who want the famous middle in a long weekend |
Gilsland → Chollerford (central section) | 2 | 3 | 8–12 miles, with real climbing | Both, this is the trail's toughest terrain | £325 |
|
The Classic Crossing
Fit, regular walkers who want the whole wall at the standard pace |
Wallsend → Bowness-on-Solway | 6 | 5 | 8–18 miles | Day 5, Gilsland to Carlisle (18 miles) | £519 |
|
The Coast to Coast at Ease
Crossers who want a night on the Solway before travelling home |
Wallsend → Bowness-on-Solway | 6 | 6 | 8–18 miles | Day 5, Gilsland to Carlisle (18 miles) | £619 |
|
The Rested Crossing
Walkers travelling far, who refuse to walk and travel on the same day |
Wallsend → Bowness-on-Solway | 6 | 7 | 8–18 miles | Day 5 of walking, Gilsland to Carlisle (18 miles) | £719 |
|
The Explorer's Crossing
Walkers who want the forts and no punishing long day |
Wallsend → Bowness-on-Solway | 7 | 8 | 8–15 miles, no 18-mile day | Day 4 of walking, Chollerford to Once Brewed (the crags) | £819 |
|
The Unhurried Wall
Walkers who want the gentlest full crossing, no long days at all |
Wallsend → Bowness-on-Solway | 8 | 9 | 7–15 miles, the gentlest days of all | Day 4 of walking, Chollerford to Once Brewed (the crags) | £894 |
Single-room prices and full inclusions are on each itinerary page and the prices page. Distances are approximate; overnight stops are confirmed at booking.
The three questions that decide it
- Can you handle one 18-mile day? The 6-, 7- and 8-day crossings all include the long Gilsland-to-Carlisle stage. If that daunts you, the Explorer's Crossing and Unhurried Wall split it into comfortable halves at Brampton.
- Do you actually want to go inside the forts? Chesters, Housesteads, Vindolanda and Birdoswald each absorb an hour or more. On the tighter crossings there isn't room; the Explorer's Crossing is built so there is.
- How far are you travelling to get here? Coming from overseas or the far end of the country, the Rested Crossing adds an arrival night and a finish night so you never travel and walk on the same day. Want just the finish night? The Coast to Coast at Ease does that.
Every itinerary can be walked east to west or west to east at the same price, see the direction guide.
More depth in the guide: How many days do you need for Hadrian's Wall?
Two itineraries still in the running?
Tell us which two and a little about your walking. We'll give you a straight recommendation, it's the question we answer most.