On the day before setting off get a flavour of the Wall and its history by visiting the Great North Museum: Hancock near Newcastle City Centre and Segedunum, a recently excavated fort at the Wall's end.
On day one, after arriving at Wallsend's Latin-signed metro station you join the trail in rather drab surroundings next to Segedunum. The walk through Walker and along the Tyne is full of echoes of the former shipyards and industrial activity with its linked densely packed housing. Beyond the modern upmarket St Peter's Marina the magnificent Newcastle / Gateshead waterfront comes in to view with the Millennium Bridge , the Baltic exhibition centre, the Sage concert theatre and the iconic Tyne Bridges.
Further upstream you pass numerous reminders of Newcastle's industrial heritage such as Vickers-Armstrong and the Dunstan Coal Staithes and of pastimes - the rows of pigeon lofts in Skinnerburn Road and the plaques for the Blaydon Races road race.
Leaving Newburn on day two you pass in to open countryside near Stephenson's Wylam Waggonway before climbing to Heddon-on-the-Wall and the first section of obvious Wall on the trail. From Heddon you follow the line of General Wade's 18th century Military Road built on Hadrian's Wall - a section full of fine views, mainly off-road and with plenty of wildlife and interesting reminders of the past.

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