Carbra two

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A great pleasure to be back on the Hadrian’s Wall path. Nothing to add to the other excellent reviews. Walked as part of the National Parks Challenge 2026.

We walked this on a glorious bright winters day, starting from the lovely town of Brampton (after having caught the bus from Carlisle bus station). The views along the route were excellent. There was a narrow section of road across the bridge over the Irthing which didn't have a footpath so care is needed here. But it is traffic light controlled, so if you time it right it's not too bad if you keep your eyes and ears open. Once on the Hardrians Wall National Trail the going was good, well sign posted and maintained. Passing through Bleatarn Farm we befriended some interesting looking sheep before heading off towards Low Crosby then onto Linstock and into Carlisle via Rickerby Park. All in all a really enjoyable route.

Brampton was an absolutely delightful little town with lots of cafés, pubs and traditional old shops, and a pretty market square, spoilt only by an excess of cars, as so many places. The footpath leaving the town was much easier and nicer than I had expected. The field crossing from Old Church Lane to Stanegate (Roman Road) was surprisingly good, with gorgeous views to admire, looking down on surrounding countryside.
Unfortunately, the only river crossings (Irthing and Cambeck) available in today’s world (there’s evidence of historic crossing points) took us a long way round along a relatively busy road (A6071) with no pavement but partial verges, and lots of farm vehicles with trailers. This was the only unpleasant section on the whole route. The bridge over the Irthing was a lovely red sandstone bridge, traffic-light controlled, but with no facilities for pedestrians, so much care was needed. At least this main road section was short.
From Irthington (a village with a good pub/hotel but only 25% through the route) there was a significant climb along a quiet country lane to reach the Hadrian’s Wall long distance footpath. Being a National Trail, this was all pretty easy going from now on, with well maintained footpaths through sheep pasture. There were stiles, kissing gates and steps.
The views along this section were expansive, and really lovely on a sunny day. We sat down for some packed lunch on some stones at Bleatarn Farm, which offers accommodation, possibly seasonal, but emphasises that their toilets are locked and for residents only. We were joined for a time by some teddy bear sheep who were very friendly! Along here there was evidence of the Vallum which runs alongside the Roman Wall, but the wall itself has disappeared almost completely.
We couldn’t see much of the nearby Carlisle Airport, although there was a recreational plane buzzing around for a bit.
Quiet lanes took us onwards, through Low Crosby, which has a pub, currently not open on weekday lunchtimes. Then we walked alongside the River Eden for a way, with good scenery, but also some mud.
The road through Linstock and Rickerby was quiet, apart from the bridge over the M6 of course, and for the second half of it there was a separated cycle/pedestrian track, which was nice. Crossing Rickerby Park was pleasant, including the cantilever footbridge over the Eden. Then we were into Carlisle itself, along a street of nice-looking large Victorian terraces with fairly ornate facades. This area has suffered from floods a few times, and is probably not quite as salubrious as it once was.
Currently the centre of Carlisle is undergoing some remodelling works, but the route to the station is still available. There were good opportunities for a welcome drink before catching the train home!.

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