What is the Hadrian's Wall Cycleway?
A long-distance route running alongside the ancient stone fortification, Hadrian's Wall Cycle Cycleway is a 170-mile-long cycling path from the North Sea on the east coast to the UK’s western coast on the Irish Sea. The majority of the route is paved and around 30% follows mostly traffic-free, quiet roads. Officially, it's known as National Route 72 and is part of the
National Cycle Network of routes that criss-cross the country. Following the same general path as the wall itself, the cycling route takes in sections of the ancient wall, Roman forts, quaint villages, and landscapes from rolling hills to peaceful river valleys and golden sandy beaches.
However, the Hadrian's Wall cycle route is different from the walking route. While the walking footpath runs from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway on the west, the cycling route extends even further. Starting from South Shields on the east coast, it crosses the country and extends down the western coast as far as the coastal village of Ravenglass.