Hadrian’s Wall Copyright © Barry Smith 2012. All Rights Reserved. Day 3 - Chollerford to Steel Rigg  13 miles   Again, the weather proved to be dry and pleasant and after a basic breakfast served in  the unkempt stale smelling bar, rather than the more suitable dining room alongside,  the intrepid 3 set off on today's section whilst I waited for the bus to transport me to the  Twice Brewed Inn at Steel Rigg.  Fortunately, from Chollerford and Chesters Fort the trail gets better. Limestone Corner  and Brocolitia are worth visiting, and from Milecastle 34 the trail actually follows the  visible wall itself! After the grind of the previous day it was pleasant to have actual wall  to look at although it was difficult to interpret between the piles of regular shaped rocks  and the pictorial information boards which showed pictures of how the milepost  buildings “might have looked”. Crag tops and pleasant views northwards were all along this stretch, which made a pleasant change from the previous section.  There is only one real R&R stop on this section of the wall, the fort at Housesteads which involves a detour of about 500 metres in each direction. It is worth  noting that the shop close to the fort does not sell hot drinks so don’t get your hopes up for a refreshing brew.  As Turret 37A was reached the path was joined by the Pennine Way, and the foot traffic started to increace, and not too far distant from where we turned off the  wall and headed for the Twice Brewed Inn , which was to be our accommodation for that evening. The hotel itself is clean and welcoming with good food and  beer. An excellent end to a fine day’s walking, with an excellent welcoming mascot on reception!  For those with a greater interest in things Roman, it is just a 1½ mile detour to Vindolanda Fort and visitor centre,  which predates the wall. Unfortunately, by the next morning I had decided that it would be sensible to return home, and the other 3, rather than  continue on in my absence, decided to accompany me back and that the walk would be completed 'at a later date'.  Accordingly, we readied ourselves and caught the Hadrian's Wall bus - AD122 - back to Newcastle, from where we  returned home somewhat deflated at not achieving our goal but determined to return to complete the task.   Day 3 - Chollerford to Steel Rigg