Stretching from the Solway Firth to the estuary of the River Tyne, Hadrian's Wall runs for 74 miles through some of the most scenic landscape in Britain. It disregards hills and valleys, at times choosing what seems to be the most difficult route. It is a spectacular monument to the ambition and skill of the Romans, who built the wall almost two thousand years ago to mark and protect the northernmost boundary of their Empire.