Date: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Day: 4
From: Chollerford To: Once Brewed/SteelRigg
Start Walking: 700am End Walking: 145pm Walking Time: 5h31m
Distance (Planned): 18.4km Distance (Garmin): 21.4km
Ascent: 615m Descent: 481m
Progress: 72.7/138km
Weather: A wet and windy start to the day. Rain jacket on, head down and Go! Eased off about 11am.
Stayed At: Windshield Farm Bunkhouse
General Comments:
• My luck ran out with the Weather Gods today and they were deaf to my pleas. I consoled myself knowing full well the rain could be much heavier and worse.
• It was a bit disappointing though as today I was walking through iconic Wall Country. All those amazing craggy hill scenes with wall marching across? Yep, I was marching along with the Wall.
• So, my apologies if my photos aren’t as light and bright as I would have liked.
• Apologies also that this blog is a day late. There was no WIFI at the Farm and I had to stand on one leg with both my arm and tongue sticking out to get any phone signal. I thought it best to save all my uploading until I had improved connectivity.
• Other than that, all I have to say is…Woo Hoo – wall-to-wall Wall!
• After the rain decided to ease off, the views were absolutely spectacular! This is what I have been dreaming of and certainly what I was expecting from this path.
• There was wall as far as the eye could see.
• There were turrets, towers and forts.
• There was a Mithras temple and Housesteads Fort.
• And sadly, there was the stump of the glorious sycamore tree that idiotic vandals cut down a couple of years ago for absolutely no reason other than that they could. The ridiculous thing is that they had to walk more than a kilometre to get to the tree and that just shows their level of planning, and premeditation.
• If you search the internet, you will find thousands of images of this once magnificent tree. Thankfully, the stump is shooting and I understand the National Parks people have taken cuttings to grow more rootstock of the same tree.
• Again, my distances were whacky today. I am staying off the trail and that would account for some of the additional distance. It’s no biggie. With views like these, the kilometres just fly by.
Top Tips:
• Self-Serve Kiosk: Heaven on a stick! When I was cold, wet, hungry and in need of a sit down, the Sewingshields Self-service kiosk appeared. They had hot drinks, cakes, chocolate, lollies, cold drinks and ice cream. And you can pay by card or cash. Well worth a stop.
• Twice Brewed Inn: And if you need a pub feed along the way or at the end of the walk, the Twice Brewed Inn is only about 1km off the trail. Good grub to satisfy the hangriest hiker.
• Windshield Farm Bunkhouse: Is cheap and cheerful, clean and simple. I have a private room with shared bathroom. Self-serve breakfast is included. You can access the trail directly from their back paddock and it’s signposted.
• Poles: Hiking poles are very handy for this stage to help with all the ascents and descents, especially as it was a bit slippery underfoot.
Man, those Romans were clever!
Life...one big adventure 
I’m having fun picturing you standing on one leg with arm and tongue sticking out, and all for us! ❤️
Those tree-cutting hooligans make my blood boil. I can only hope that in the years since they’ve grown up and now look back upon their antic with a horror and shame that last a lifetime.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was talking to a bloke where I stayed last night and he was saying that they have shown no remorse! Apparently at the trial, they tried to convince the judge that they were drunk and not in their right minds. Thankfully the judge would have none of it, especially as they had to carry a chainsaw all the way in from the road. The walk alone should have given them time to sober up and realise this was not one of their better ideas. A tragedy.
LikeLike
Stupendous, isn’t it? Apart from the sad tree and the fact that I can’t seem to spell stiles. Or I could blame predictive text.
I was a bit worried when you didn’t appear timeously, and relieved that that isn’t you doing the rock climbing. Why didn’t you just start a bit later and avoid the rain? xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is truly stupendous. As you can see, I just couldn’t stop taking photos. It has to be seen to be believed. Yes, I could have started later, but I just get so excited, I have to get out the door and get walking. And I didn’t melt in the rain, so all good!🙃🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person