Game of Thrones holidays in the UK – walk along the 84-mile long Hadrian’s Wall that inspired The Wall in the fantasy series
Now trekking the 1,900-year-old wall yourself is easier than ever by staying in different B&Bs
“AS we stopped to see Hadrian’s Wall, I stood up there and I tried to imagine what it was like to be a Roman legionary.
“For the Romans at that time, this was the end of civilisation.”
OK, those aren’t my words — they’re George R.R. Martin’s.
But if the world-famous Game Of Thrones author has spoken about my latest holiday destination, I’m not going to try to top it.
Martin visited the 1,900-year-old Hadrian’s Wall in 1981 and was so impressed by the 84-mile structure, which runs the width of England, that it inspired the fantasy series.
He added: “I took the wall and made it three times as long and 700ft high and made it out of ice.”
More than 30 years later, Game Of Thrones is a huge TV series and the wall itself has also had something of a makeover.
Back when Martin visited, much of it was hard to locate and only the hardiest walkers undertook the trek.
But today a national trail footpath follows the wall from end to end, so it’s easy to follow.
This summer, my boyfriend, his father and I did the trek ourselves, carrying packs on our backs and staying at different hotels, hostels, B&Bs and self-catered accommodation along the route.
We averaged 15 miles a day over undulating terrain, which was quite hard work — and in hindsight, we should have used the Hadrian’s Wall bag service that ferries luggage between accommodation.
Obviously Emperor Hadrian wasn’t planning a beautiful walk when he ordered his soldiers to build the wall in 122 AD, he just wanted to protect the Roman Empire from the tribes of the north.
But two millennia later, it still stands in some of the UK's most attractive land.
From the west, the first 20 miles from Carlisle passes through some quintessential English countryside, but the middle, wilder part is the best, as you finally get to see the wall.
Until then, it is just a mound under the ground.
The Romans conquered England in AD43 and had already started to build forts in the area before Hadrian ordered the wall to be built.
Over the next 400 years, forts and villages popped up along the wall to house soldiers and their families.
But after they were called back to Rome in the early 5th century, much of it went to ruin as locals pinched stones to build their farms.
As a result, large swathes of the wall are now non-existent.
But the ruins of the old towns have provided a huge amount of information about how the Romans lived, with archaeologists digging up everything from jewellery to wigs and even birthday invitations.
The museum and fort at the Roman town of Vindolanda in Northumberland, where many soldiers, women, children and merchants lived from 85 to 410AD, is one of the best places to find out about life at the time.
Much like the townships that cropped up to attract commerce from the wall, there are plenty of tourism businesses built to service walkers nowadays.
As a result, it is easier than ever to complete the trek, with accommodation to suit every need.
We started with self-catering, at the Halston Apartments in Carlisle.
Then there are the cost-effective campsites and youth hostels, the most impressive of which is the Youth Hostel Association’s new flagship hostel The Sill, near Vindolanda.
GO: Hadrian's Wall
STAYING THERE: A one-night stay at Halston Apartments in Carlisle costs from £100 per room a night. See .
One night at Carraw B&B costs from £72 a night – see .
One night half-board at Farlam Hall costs from £310 per night – see.
One night at YHA The Sill costs from £15. See .
MORE INFO: For further details about visiting Hadrian’s Wall, head to .
The most popular type of accommodation along the route is the B&B, where prices start from £50 a night.
If you book far enough ahead you can even bag a B&B that is on the wall, such as Carraw B&B, where we stayed on our penultimate night.
Then there are the luxury hotels, such as Farlam Hall Country House Hotel near Lanercost Priory.
The 12-bedroom Grade II listed property and its old-school hospitality — drinks in the lounge before dinner served at 8pm — feels like it's straight out of Miss Marple.
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The hotel experience was part of the beauty of this trip though.
While the walking holiday provides one-of-a-kind history, the path takes hikers through some beautiful parts of Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.
It made such an impression that my boyfriend and I will definitely return for a romantic weekend break — minus the hiking gear.