Walking the Hadrian’s Wall Path gives you 84 miles of some of the most varied and compelling scenery in England. From the dramatic ridgeline of the central section, where the Wall snakes along the crags with views stretching for miles in every direction, to the quiet rivers and green valleys of the west, and the energy of Newcastle Quayside, every day on the trail looks completely different from the last.
I came home from our walk with hundreds of photos, some keepers, some terrible, and a few I’ll treasure forever. I want to make sure future walkers also come home with images that do justice to what they saw out there, so I thought I’d share my favorite photo spots from the route.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information.
Planning Your First Hadrian’s Wall Walk?
If you’re dreaming about walking Hadrian’s Wall but aren’t sure where to start, you’re in the right place!
Join the Hadrian’s Wall First-Time Walkers Facebook Group, where you can ask questions, share your plans, and connect with people who’ve already done the trail. It’s a friendly, welcoming community for walkers of all ages and fitness levels.
If you want an easy way to keep track of all the photo spots on this list while you’re out on the trail, grab our Hadrian’s Wall Photo Spots Checklist. It includes both photo spots and selfie spots, and comes in two versions, one for east to west walkers and one for west to east, so the locations are always in the right order for your direction of travel.
A Few Tips for Getting the Best Photos
I thought it would be helpful to share a few photo tips before getting into the spots themselves. If you’re looking for more general walking tips, be sure to check out our post on essential tips for walking Hadrian’s Wall.
Take lots of photos. Seriously, don’t hold back. Some will be blurry, some will have a stranger’s elbow in the corner, and some will be absolute keepers. You won’t know until you take them, so take more than you think you need. You can always delete the bad ones later. Our Hadrian’s Wall Journal, which comes as a paperback or printable, has a dedicated space for photos and favorite memories from each day, so you have somewhere to put the keepers when you get home.
Get yourself in the photos. It’s so easy to come home with 300 landscape shots and not a single one of yourself. Ask a fellow walker to snap one of you, in our experience people are always happy to help and you can return the favor. If there’s no one around, a selfie is absolutely fine. Some of these spots also appear on our list of the best selfie spots on the Hadrian’s Wall Path, along with plenty of others, so give it a read before you set off.
Don’t climb on the Wall. It may be tempting to get up on it for a better perspective, but the Wall is a protected ancient monument, and climbing on it causes real damage. Admire it, photograph it, just don’t stand on it.
Turn around. Some of our best shots on this walk came from looking behind us. Be sure to take some time to turn around and look at where you came from because sometimes the view is even better looking that way.
Embrace the weather. Bright blue skies are lovely, but don’t be disheartened if the conditions aren’t perfect. Moody clouds, low mist rolling over the crags, and dramatic gray skies can make for far more atmospheric photos than a plain sunny day.
Allow yourself time to stop. It sounds obvious, but when you’re focused on hitting your daily mileage it’s easy to walk straight past a shot you’ll wish you’d taken. Build a little extra time into your day at the spots you’re most excited about. You’ll be glad you did.
You don’t need expensive gear. A modern smartphone camera is more than capable, and keeping your kit light is always a smart move on a long-distance walk. We didn’t even bring our camera and every photo was taken on our phones. If you do want to travel light but still get steady shots, a lightweight phone tripod is a small but useful thing to bring. For more on what we packed, check out our Hadrian’s Wall packing guide.
Finding These Photo Spots on the Route
Most of the spots in this list are well-known enough that you’ll find them easily as you walk. For anything trickier to locate, we’d recommend picking up a copy of the Henry Stedman Hadrian’s Wall Path guidebook, published by Trailblazer Guides. It’s the guidebook we used on our walk and it’s genuinely excellent, with detailed maps, route notes, and a GPS waypoint system that makes it easy to pinpoint exactly where you are on the trail. You can read our full guidebook review here if you want to find out more before you buy.
Ready to see the spots? Here they are, listed in the order you’ll encounter them walking east to west.
The Best Photo Spots on the Hadrian’s Wall Path
These are the spots that stopped us in our tracks, the places where the scenery, the history, or the sheer scale of what the Romans built made us reach for our phones. There are scenic viewpoints, stretches of Wall that tell a story, and a couple, like the start and the finish, that you’re going to photograph no matter what, because you walked 84 miles and you’ve earned that photo.
I’ve listed the places in the order you would come across them if you were walking east to west like we did.
1. Segedunum, Wallsend
Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend marks the eastern end of the Hadrian’s Wall Path, and it’s the obvious place to start racking up the photos before you’ve even taken your first step on the trail. If you’re walking west to east, it’s one of the most satisfying finish line photos you’ll ever take.
Photo opportunities include climbing the viewing tower, which gives you a bird’s eye perspective of the fort ruins below. It’s useful for appreciating the standard layout that was used across Roman forts throughout the empire. There’s also a reconstructed section of Hadrian’s Wall a short walk from the museum, separate from the fort ruins, and yes, you can actually walk on it! If you’re looking for selfie opportunities at Segedunum too, there are plenty.
Keep in mind Segedunum charges admission, so be sure to check opening hours and ticket prices before you visit. Allow at least a couple of hours if you’re planning to go inside, visit the museum, and climb the viewing tower. That said, some of the best photo opportunities here are accessible without paying to go in.
2. Newcastle Quayside
The Hadrian’s Wall Path runs right through the heart of Newcastle, and the Quayside section is where you really feel it. The River Tyne stretches out in front of you and the famous bridges line up one after another, the Tyne Bridge, the Swing Bridge, and the Millennium Bridge.
For a shot that captures the skyline in one frame, stand at the quayside railing a bit east of the bridges and look west. The bridges line up one after another, and the Baltic and The Glasshouse (formerly Sage Gateshead) both sit on the left. I love the sweeping curves of the Glasshouse’s modern architecture, and one day I’d love to see a concert inside it.
We were lucky enough to see the Millennium Bridge tilt open to let a boat through while we were walking there. While we didn’t manage to get a photo, we did catch it on video. The bridge does tilt on a schedule, so check the tilt times on the NewcastleGateshead website before your walk to see if you might catch it.
It’s a reminder that Hadrian’s Wall isn’t just a rural walk through empty countryside. It’s a route that runs through 2,000 years of living history, from Roman frontier to medieval city to modern Newcastle.
For more on the Roman history woven into the city, check out our guide to Hadrian’s Wall in Newcastle.
3. Hadrian’s Wall at Heddon-on-the-Wall
After a long first day of walking through urban and suburban Newcastle, this stretch of Wall feels like a real reward. If you’re walking east to west, this is the first piece of Roman Wall you’ll see out in the countryside. If you’re heading west to east, it’s the last until you reach Segedunum in Wallsend.
It takes a little finding. It’s just a minute or two diversion off the main path, but it’s a bit hidden behind a hedge. Don’t give up if you don’t spot it immediately. The Trailblazer guidebook will point you in the right direction, and the detour absolutely pays off.
This stretch is built on broad foundations, the same broad foundations you’ll see later at Planetrees, where you can spot the moment the Romans changed their plans and narrowed the Wall mid-build. Seeing the two sections gives you a real sense of how the construction evolved as the project progressed.
Once we’d taken our photos, we headed into the village to the Three Tuns pub to celebrate with a well-earned drink. Russell had a pint. I had a half. Either way, it felt like the perfect end to day one.
4. Planetrees
Planetrees doesn’t have the drama of the central crags, but for anyone who loves the Wall itself, the actual Roman stonework, this is a special spot. Located a bit east of Chesters Roman Fort, this 35-meter stretch of Wall tells a remarkable story about a change of plan mid-build.
When the Romans built Hadrian’s Wall, they actually changed their plans midway through, narrowing the width from 10 to 8 Roman feet, most likely to speed up building. At Planetrees you can see the evidence of that decision right in front of you.
The soldiers laying the foundations had worked faster than the builders above them, so the narrower Wall sits visibly on top of the broader foundations. It’s a small detail that says a lot about the sheer scale and complexity of what the Romans were trying to achieve.
5. Chollerford Bridge
Chollerford is where the Hadrian’s Wall Path crosses the River North Tyne, and the bridge here deserves a closer look. Built in 1785 by architect Robert Mylne to replace an earlier medieval bridge that was swept away in the great floods of 1771, it’s a Grade II listed structure and makes for a lovely photo, especially on a calm day when the river reflects the stonework and the trees along the bank.
The Chesters Bridge Abutment, the remains of the Roman bridge that once carried Hadrian’s Wall across this same river, is a short walk from Chollerford Bridge. The Roman bridge itself is long gone, but the abutment survives and the detour is worth it for the views along the river. While you’re there, turn around and frame a shot with Chollerford Bridge itself in the distance, the river and trees along the bank leading your eye toward it. You may also notice something protruding from the stonework, but more on that in the next section.
6. Chesters Roman Fort
Chesters Roman Fort sits on the east bank of the North Tyne and it deserves more time than we gave it. We made the mistake of spending too long at the Chesters Bridge Abutment (the same one mentioned above) hunting for a Roman phallus protruding from the stonework. We never found it, which means we still have unfinished business there.
By the time we reached the fort we were behind schedule, so we went into the museum meaning to spend just a few minutes. That didn’t quite work out. The museum is small but absolutely packed with Roman finds, far more than you’d expect from the size of the building, and we ended up lingering much longer than planned. Then unfortunately, we had to rush through the ruins.
So learn from our mistake and allow for time to properly explore Chesters. The fort ruins make for excellent photos against the open Northumberland countryside, and the bathhouse down by the riverbank is one of the best-preserved in Britain. For the barracks rows, get down low so the parallel foundation walls lead your eye straight through the ruins.
Chesters is an English Heritage site. Admission is free for English Heritage members, overseas visitors with the Overseas Visitor Pass, and members of the Association for Roman Archaeology. Check the English Heritage website for up-to-date admission prices and opening hours. Unlike some sites on the route where you can photograph plenty from outside, you really do need to go in to get the best of Chesters.
7. Mithras Temple
We had lunch at the Temple of Mithras on our third day, sitting out in the open Northumberland countryside. It’s a peaceful spot and a good excuse to stop and take it all in.
The temple itself is compact, with low ruin walls outlining the footprint of the original building and replica altar stones inside. Standing in the remains of a place where Roman soldiers gathered to worship, out here in the middle of the countryside nearly 2,000 years ago, is quietly moving. Get down low near the entrance and the altar stones feel bigger and more imposing or stand back for a wider view that takes in the whole footprint of the temple.
Carrawburgh (also called Brocolitia) Fort, just next to the temple, sometimes has a coffee van in the parking area. It wasn’t there when we walked, but here’s hoping! There’s no admission charge to visit the temple and no set opening hours.
For more unmissable sites along the route, take a look at our guide to the best places to visit on the Hadrian’s Wall Path.
💡 Expert Tip: If you find the Temple of Mithras intriguing, the London Mithraeum is well worth adding to your travel plans. Read our guide to visiting the London Mithraeum and start planning your own visit.
8. Sewingshields Crags
Sewingshields Crags offers a stretch of ridge walking with views that are hard to beat, and some well-preserved sections of the Wall itself to explore along the way. Looking west from here you get a long sweeping view of the Wall running ahead of you, with Broomlee Lough visible in the valley below.
Keep an eye out for the trig point, which makes for a memorable photo stop. The landscape here tells its own story. To the south the land slopes away gently toward the military road, but to the north there’s a dramatic 200 foot drop off the crags. That natural cliff face meant the Romans didn’t need to build a ditch on the north side here, the landscape did the job for them.
9. Housesteads Roman Fort
Housesteads is the most complete Roman fort in Britain, and the views from up here are some of the best on the whole route. The fort sits high on the Whin Sill escarpment, and from the ruins you can see the Wall running away in both directions across the Northumberland countryside. Look east from the fort walls for a shot of the Wall running out through the countryside toward the horizon.
The ruined walls of the barracks and granaries make for strong foreground interest with the ridgeline stretching behind them. Don’t miss the Roman latrines either, one of the best-preserved in the entire Roman Empire.
There’s a small English Heritage museum on site and a National Trust Visitor Centre about a 10-minute walk downhill if you need a proper cafe stop. Admission is free for English Heritage members, Overseas Visitor Pass holders, National Trust members, and members of the Association for Roman Archaeology. Check the English Heritage website for up-to-date admission prices and opening hours.
We actually rushed through Housesteads on our walk and ended up returning another day to see it properly. If you can, allow at least an hour and a half to do it justice. If you’re not walking the full trail, you can visit Housesteads on a day trip from Newcastle or Carlisle.
10. Sycamore Gap
Sycamore Gap is one of the most recognized spots on the Hadrian’s Wall Path, because it featured as a filming location in the 1991 Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It became known to many as the Robin Hood Tree since it was featured in a scene near the beginning of the film when Robin gives directions to Azeem, played by Morgan Freeman.
Sadly, the tree was deliberately felled in September 2023 in an act of vandalism that shocked people around the world. We booked our walk shortly after it happened, so we never got to see it in person.
The stump is now protected by a wooden fence, but you can take a close look at the signs of regrowth. This spot means a lot to a lot of people, especially given what happened to the tree, so it’s worth being a little extra mindful of other visitors while you’re here. Even without the tree, Sycamore Gap is still one of the most photogenic spots on the entire route and an absolute must-stop for a photo.
The dramatic dip between the towering crags is as striking as it ever was, and you’ll want a photo to remember this iconic spot. This may be the steepest section of the whole path, so take your time and watch your footing.
For everything you need to know about visiting, check out our complete guide to Sycamore Gap.
11. Steel Rigg
Steel Rigg is one of those spots that photographs well from every angle. Looking up at the Wall from below, the crags rise dramatically above you and make for a bold shot. Once you make it to the top, the view opens up across the Whin Sill escarpment with Crag Lough glittering below and the Northumberland hills rolling away in every direction.
There’s a parking area at Steel Rigg so you’ll find plenty of day walkers in this area, not just people doing the full trail.
12. Milecastle 42
Just up from the quarry you’ll find Milecastle 42, one of the best-preserved milecastles on the entire route. About every Roman mile along the Wall, the Romans built a milecastle, a small fortified gateway with barracks for a garrison of soldiers.
What makes Milecastle 42 particularly interesting is its position on steeply sloping ground overlooking Hole Gap, where the Wall descends to cross a small area of lower, flat ground before climbing again. This was a potential weak spot where intruders might slip over the Wall unseen, making it a strategically important location for the Roman garrison stationed here. Take the dead-end path behind the quarry for the best view of Milecastle 42 and the crags behind it.
13. Cawfields Quarry
Arriving at Cawfields after the drama of the central crags, the change in scenery really stands out. The quarry cut right through the Wall to the underlying Whin Sill dolerite bedrock, and what it left behind is a large pond sitting at the foot of the crags. On a calm day the water reflects the sky and the surrounding landscape beautifully.
We enjoyed our packed lunches here, and ended up staying about an hour, enjoying the peace and quiet and doing a bit of birdwatching. It’s that kind of place.
There are picnic tables, a parking area, and toilets open 24 hours including a Changing Places facility. There’s sometimes a coffee van in the parking area too, though it wasn’t there when we visited!
For a full list of toilet facilities along the route, check out our Hadrian’s Wall Toilet Guide.
14. Walltown Crags
Walltown Crags offers some excellent stretches of Wall to photograph, with views in every direction that make you stop and stare. The terrain has plenty of ups and downs, and watching the Wall snake its way along the crags makes for some really dramatic photos.
Keep an eye out for Turret 45a at one end of the section, which may have originated as a freestanding signal tower during the early stages of building the Wall. This is a section where you’ll want to take it slow and get your photos right.
If you’re worried about whether you’re fit enough to handle the hills on this walk, our Hadrian’s Wall Training Plan will get you ready, dodgy knees, bad back, and all.
15. Thirlwall Castle
Thirlwall Castle is a short, steep climb from the path, but the ruins are fun to explore and a great reason to stop. The castle sits on a bank above the Tipalt Burn, and the crumbling stonework framed by the surrounding trees makes for some compelling photos. Shoot upward from below to make the ruins look taller and more dramatic, or pull back for a wide shot that takes in the surrounding fields and hills.
To understand why Thirlwall Castle exists, you need to understand the world it was built in. Life in Northumberland between the 1300s and 1600s was dangerous and unstable. Cross-border raids between England and Scotland were common, and fear and uncertainty gripped the region for generations. Important families protected themselves by building strong, defensible homes, and in the 1330s John Thirlwall built one here for his family.
The materials he needed were close at hand. Timber and water were readily available, and just nearby lay neatly dressed sandstone blocks that the Romans had quarried nearly 1,200 years earlier to build Hadrian’s Wall. Those Roman stones became the walls of Thirlwall Castle, which sheltered the Thirlwall family through raids and instability for the next 300 years. After the Union of the Scottish and English Crowns in 1603 brought more peaceful conditions, border strongholds became redundant, and the castle gradually fell into decay.
The site is free to visit with no set opening hours, and it’s protected by Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument status.
According to local myth, when the castle was finally taken by Scottish raiders, a hideous dwarf guardian flung a table of solid gold down the castle well and leapt in after it, sealing the well by magic. Legend has it he remains there still, waiting for the only son of a widow to break the spell. Whether you believe it or not, it’s an entertaining story to tell your walking companions as you head back down to the path.
16. Irthing Bridge
Irthing Bridge is the modern footbridge that carries the path across the river, built in a way that’s as interesting as the bridge itself. The two curved steel beams, each weighing 7.5 metric tons, were flown in by Chinook helicopter to avoid disturbing the archaeology and ecology of the site. It’s built from Corten A steel, which weathers and changes color with the seasons, keeping a connection with the surrounding landscape. Shoot straight down the walkway for the symmetry of the railings and centerline, or step down to the riverbank for a side view of the bridge arching over the water.
Just a short distance away, you’ll find the ruins of the original Roman bridge abutment, which once carried Hadrian’s Wall across the River Irthing, sitting in open pasture completely dry. The river changed course over the centuries and simply left it behind. The information board includes illustrations of what the Roman bridge would have looked like, which is useful to read before you take your shot.
It’s a sharp contrast. There are two bridges here, nearly 2,000 years apart, and both are engineered solutions to the same crossing point on the same river.
17. Lanercost Priory
Lanercost Priory is a half mile diversion from the path, downhill on the way there and uphill on the way back. The ruins are substantial enough to make it worthwhile. I was not expecting something so tall and grand in the middle of the Cumbrian countryside, and we were glad we made the time for it.
Like several sites along the route, Lanercost Priory was built using stones taken from Hadrian’s Wall, so there’s a satisfying connection to the route you’ve just been walking. The priory was founded in 1169, and part of the original nave is still in use today as the Priory Church of St Mary Magdalene, an Anglican parish church where services have been held for nearly 850 years. That section is free to enter, but if you’ve made the diversion, take the time to see the ruins properly. For your photos focus on the dramatic arches at the roofless east end or use a wide-angle lens for the vaulted refectory undercroft.
The priory has a remarkable royal connection too. In the winter of 1306 to 1307, an elderly and gravely ill Edward I turned Lanercost into a temporary royal residence for five months. Unable to ride, he had been carried on a litter from Newcastle intending to hold a parliament at Carlisle, but fell too ill to continue. He arrived with a retinue of around 200 people, including Queen Margaret and Prince Edward, and many lived in tents within the priory precinct while the impoverished canons looked on. Edward finally departed in March 1307 and died a few months later.
Admission is free for English Heritage members and Overseas Visitor Pass holders. Check the English Heritage website for up-to-date admission prices and opening hours. There’s a tearoom right next to the priory with toilets, a fine excuse to rest your legs before heading back up to the path.
18. Bowness-on-Solway
Bowness-on-Solway is the western end of the Hadrian’s Wall Path, and whether it’s your starting point or your finish line, you absolutely have to get a photo here. The small wooden terminus shelter sits in a quiet village on the edge of the Solway Firth, and there’s nothing grand or dramatic about it. That’s part of what makes it so special.
When we finished here we just took some time to stand and take it all in. It’s a peaceful spot with lovely views out over the Solway Firth, and after 84 miles it felt like exactly the right place to stop, breathe, and appreciate what we’d just done. Frame a wide shot with the water stretching out into the distance, a nice one to have whichever direction you’re walking.
The shelter has different text on each side, one for walkers setting off east to west and one for those finishing their walk. Make sure you photograph the right side for your direction! If you’re finishing here, you’ve just walked 84 miles. Take the photo. Take several. You’ve earned every single one.
Want to Capture Every One of These Spots?
This list is just a starting point. The Hadrian’s Wall Path is packed with photo opportunities from the moment you set off to the moment you finish, and every walker comes home with a different set of favorites.
If this post has got you dreaming about pulling out your camera at every one of these spots, grab our Hadrian’s Wall Photo Spots Checklist to keep track of every spot as you go, and our Hadrian’s Wall Journal, available in both printable and paperback formats, to record your favorite moments from the walk.
We’d love to see your pictures! Come and share them in the Hadrian’s Wall First-Time Walkers Facebook Group. There’s nothing we love more than seeing the Wall through someone else’s eyes.
Have a favorite photo spot we didn’t include? Drop it in the comments below. We’d love to know which spots stopped you in your tracks!
-Anisa
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means we will receive a small commission for some purchases made using links in our blog with no additional cost to you. Please be assured we would not promote any product unless we believe that our readers will also benefit. The commission does not influence the editorial content of this site.
Two Traveling Texans is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.