Hadrian's Wall 2008
Accommodation review
The Old Rectory, Bowness-on-Solway:
There aren’t too many places to stay at the start or the
end of the wall, but the Old Rectory was very comfortable.
The room was spacious and the breakfast was good, served up
in a large dining room. The local pub is very functional and
serves primarily the local residents. As Bowness-on-Solway
is quite away from the beaten track don’t be expecting too
much. We were lucky enough to have a car and went off to the
next village as the local was already very busy. I didn’t
fancy waiting too long. But the ladies at the B&B said it
was OK.
http://www.wallsend.net/
http://www.kingsarmsbowness.co.uk/
The Angus Hotel, Carlisle:
Lots of B&B’s to choose from in Carlisle. If I had my
time again I would have stayed to the south of the river to
be closer to the town centre. The Angus was OK and the
welcome was fine. They did manage to dry my boots out in the
boiler room overnight – so that is a plus. They have a
bistro attached to the hotel which is where breakfast is
served. The breakfast was ok and service was good. For my
evening meal I was directed to a small bistro type
restaurant called ‘The Gilded Lily’. I thought this was
great value and the food and atmosphere was excellent.
Although it is a good 15min walk away.
http://www.angus-hotel.co.uk/
Low Rigg Farm, Walton:
This B&B was about ½ mile from Walton on a working farm.
The views from the front across the lawn were delicious. The
welcome was lovely and my boots were set to rest in the
hallway and stuffed with newspaper. Any wet gear also hangs
here and is usually dry by the morning. Tip - don’t hang
your wet layers above your boots! The room was comfortable
and the bathroom across the hallway was well stocked for a
pampering, if you need one. Breakfast was good and the walk
back down to the path doesn’t take long in the morning. My
evening meal was taken in the delightful Centurion Inn. The
ambience was good, the landlord as rude as he could be, but
give as good as you get! The food was a little expensive
around £10 for a main course, but very filling. To top it
off there was a roaring fire with a row of smelly boots
lined up steaming away…
http://www.lowriggfarm.com/
Burnhead B&B, Burnhead:
The B&B was bang on the path and you can’t miss it. A
wonderful welcome and a clean, comfortable room. Breakfast
was good as with most of the places I stayed at. The
Milecastle Inn was a 10minute walk down the lane – uphill
there and roll back down from the pub. I had my first pint
of Big Lamp bitter and it was very tasty. The pub was busy,
but the service was good. The food was passable – good pub
grub hit the spot but again at £10 for a main course, a
little on the pricey side.
http://www.burnheadbedandbreakfast.co.uk/
http://www.milecastle-inn.co.uk/
The George Hotel, Chollerford:
It was along way from Burnhead to The George, but it is
sited down next to the bridge over the Tyne. I wasn’t sure
about staying at a hotel chain but it was ok, a bit of a
maze of corridors and the bathrooms need refurbishing. They
offer special deals of DBB so look out for them on the web.
There is an outside sitting area next to the bar for that
deeply refreshing draught at the end of the days walking.
The set menu was good, as was the service and very good
value at £15.95 for 4 courses considering the prices at The
Centurion and Milecastle Inns. Breakfast was serve yourself
and was adequate for me. The gardens are lovely and next to
the river and if staying in summer you can have your bar
meals served on outside tables.
http://www.swallow-hotels.com/hotels/swallow-george-chollerford
Keelmans Lodge, Newburn:
This was the longest and probably the wettest day of the
walk. The brewery was a very welcome sight for sore legs.
The least homely and without that personal welcome but
facilities were excellent, clean and new - this is newly
decorated accommodation. They are located away from the main
bar and it was quiet even though it was Friday night. The
bar and restaurant are nearby and had a great atmosphere,
and was well used by the locals. They obviously liked the
beer here (as I did) and the food was great. I had a veggie
something or other washed down with several beers. I
couldn’t fault the place, except that breakfast was an
expensive extra at £7.95 and not served until 9am which,
even if I had stayed to do the final day’s walking, would
have been too late for me.
http://www.keelmanslodge.co.uk/
