- On trail 14.7 mi 23.6 km
- Walking time 6–7 h
- Ascent 290 m 950 ft
- Descent 230 m 750 ft
- Difficulty Easy
Segedunum, the Tyne quayside, and a long paved walk to the first village.
Section 1: Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall map
Example stay Heddon Lodge
Cross-check: National Trails route description . The walk follows that page, opened 18 October 2026. Miles named in the questions are the GOV.UK visit page of the same day. Distances on this page are measured between these ends.
The walk
The trail starts at the Roman fort of Segedunum. It has not been possible to walk the whole line of the Wall since the end of the Roman occupation, about 1,600 years ago, and the route description asks you to set off with that in mind. The Tyne then takes over: quayside, the Baltic, and the bridges, with the ribs of Victorian coal boats in the mud at low tide. George Stephenson's cottage sits half a mile off the path where you cross the Wylam Waggonway. Heddon-on-the-Wall is the first village, and the point where the city gives way to fields.
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Official start
Wallsend
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Segedunum
The Roman fort at Wallsend is the start. The route description sets the whole walk against the 1,600 years since anyone could follow the Wall from end to end.
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The Tyne quayside
Quayside, the Baltic, and the historic bridges. At low tide the mud holds the ribs of Victorian coal boats, which the route description calls another layer of the walk.
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Half a mile off
Stephenson's cottage
Where the path crosses the Wylam Waggonway, George Stephenson's birthplace cottage is half a mile to the west. It is a short leave-the-path, then you rejoin for Heddon.
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End of section
Heddon-on-the-Wall
Section 1: Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall overview
The ground
- Pavement
- Quayside
- City
- Village at the end
Pavement through a city, then open country at the end. The length is the work. The switchback and Windshields are the hard ground, two sections on from here. This opening stretch is the city, and it is the one later plans leave whole when they split the road and the crags.
Stops
Refreshments
- Newcastle quayside
- Heddon-on-the-Wall
Toilets
- No source used for this section names a public toilet
Before you go
Opposite direction
Heddon-on-the-Wall to Wallsend
Walked from the west, this is the last section. You leave Heddon on the Wylam Waggonway, pass the turn for Stephenson's cottage, and come down the quayside through the bridges to finish at Segedunum.
Official finish
Wallsend
Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall FAQ
How long is Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall?
This page measures 14.7 mi (23.6 km) between the two ends. The GOV.UK visit page lists the section as 15 miles (24 km). The difference is the line we measured, including the walk through the city.
Is the first section all pavement?
Most of it. The visit page says the section goes through urban areas, including the centre of Newcastle, and along the banks of the Tyne. The last part, into Heddon-on-the-Wall, is open countryside.
Walk this as a day
Used as Day 1 on the 7-day. Open the planner on that preset, then export a full-trip or per-day GPX.
Open in planner Read the 7-day itinerary
Full-trip and per-day GPX files. Free, no account.
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