We didn’t have a fully planned route for the Sycamore Gap walk, so we went out to see what we could find. This time we started at The Sill Visitor Centre. It has a large car park and a cafe, so we had a cuppa before setting out.
Winshield Crags
We started off by climbing to the highest point on Hadrian’s Wall and the highest point on the walk, Winshield Crags. It is 345m above sea level and is marked with a trig point.
The views are magnificent from here on a clear day and we had a clear day. It’s even possible to see the mountain called Merrick in the Galloway Forest.
It was here that we realised that we were in the middle of a charity walk and there were hundreds of people doing either 13 miles or 26 miles along the Wall.
Steel Rigg
This is a longer stretch of walking along the top of the Great Whin Sill. The Whin Sill is a hard rock that has resisted erosion. It can be seen across much of the far North of England. Sites such as Lindisfarne Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle are built on Whin Sill and High Force flows over it.
We encountered some cattle here. They’re obviously used to people, as they we completely unfazed by the hoards of people passing.
Sycamore Gap
After Steel Rigg we followed the Wall further along, with a few ups and downs, until we reached the objective of the walk, Sycamore Gap.
Unfortunately for Julie, Kevin Costner wasn’t there waiting this time. Regardless, this is still a lovely place for a rest and to enjoy the scenery.
We couldn’t resist the classic Sycamore Gap photograph.
Crag Lough
Crag Lough sits at the base of Highshields Crags. This is the most precipitous part of the walk. The path is on the Sill side of the Wall at this point and at points there is a sheer drop down to the Lough.
This area is popular with climbers, owing to the vertical rock wall and easy access.
Twice Brewed
Just after Crag Lough we turned back along the lower path, back towards Once Brewed or Twice Brewed, depending on direction of approach. Here we rewarded ourselves with a sample of the local brew, made next to the Twice Brewed Inn. However, they didn’t specify how many times it had been brewed.
Hope to see you all on the Sycamore Gap walk.
Julie and Martin
