Once you have selected your hiking gear equipment it is time to pick out a walk to use it to its fullest capabilities and what better than involving a bit of history and movie magic at the same time; let’s plan a walk along Hadrian’s Wall and see what it has to offer.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the national trail that’s goes from Bowness-on-Solway in the west to Wallsend in the East, and there are several events taking place. If you are walking the entire length, you can pick up a Hadrian’s Wall Passport at either end and have it stamped at several venues as a record of your endeavours. However each end of the wall is marked in contrasting styles to say the least. At one end is a high-tech visitor centre called Segedunum, and at the other is a simple wooden shelter. I will leave it to you to find out which is which.

However it is the central part of the walk where you will find the main highlights of this walk, with the terrain, history and views taking pride of place. The Roman fort of Housesteads, or Vercovicium, is one of these highlights and has been a feature of the landscape since it was built in AD122. Whether you see this site in sunshine or in driving rain it evokes the rigours of life at the edge of empire. Another place you might recognise on the wall is Sycamore Gap, where surprisingly enough is a mature Sycamore Tree supposedly planted by the Romans themselves. Probably better known for featuring in the early part of Kevin Costner’s film version of Robin Hood, where Robin has just landed at Dover, and then appears over the hill to see the sycamore tree before he arrives at Nottingham. I’ve heard of taking the pretty route but I question his ability to read any sort of map.

However you decide to approach Hadrian’s Wall, as one long trek or split in to three weekends there is something on offer for everyone, so get that hiking gear equipment out of the cupboard and make the most of something special.