Great Walls: The complete guide

Whether they divide and rule, or enclose and protect, walls constitute some of the greatest physical evidence man has left on the planet.

What's the greatest wall of all?

By a long shot, the Great Wall of China which, including its various branches, runs for about 4,000 miles from the Yellow Sea westwards to Jiayuguan in the Gobi desert. The main wall is around 30 feet high, and dates in part from the 4th century bc. It's punctuated by crenellated watchtowers which overlook such spectacular sights as the golden roofs and marble bridges of the Eastern Qing Tombs and the Panjiakou lake. Designed predominantly to keep out the Hsiung-nu – the nomadic Mongol tribes of the northern steppes – the Great Wall served to protect China's northern frontier. It took the vision of Shih Huang-ti, the first emperor of a united China, to link existing ramparts and form a single wall in 214bc thus creating a comprehensive means of communicating with the capital; the watchtowers used fire and smoke signals to relay messages over vast distances.

Can I see it from the moon?

"The only man-made structure visible from outer space" is a much-quoted myth about the Great Wall. If you could see it, you would be able to see the M25 and Heathrow airport more clearly.

Can I walk the wall?

In a word, yes. The section of the Great Wall that passes closest to Beijing is Mutianyu, a short bus ride from the Chinese capital. A return flight from the UK to Beijing in November will cost £359 on KLM via Amsterdam through Quest (0870 444 5552, www.questtravel.com). You'll need a visa; applications can be made at the Chinese Embassy (020-7299 4049) or online at www.cbw.com/tourism.

A new addition to the adventure holiday programme offered by Explore Worldwide (01252 760100, www.explore.co.uk) is the "Walk the Great Wall" trip. Beginning at the Dragon's Head on the Yellow Sea, this 11-day trip zigzags through the mountains by bus, boat, train and foot along stretches of the wall in a 400-mile circuit from Beijing. The walking is graded easy/moderate and the tour also takes in the sights of Beijing. Departures for next year run from April to July and the price is £1,045 including return flights, ground transport, guides, hotel and guesthouse accommodation, and breakfast.

And within our own four walls?

Much smaller, but much closer to home, is Hadrian's Wall in the north of England. The aim was also to keep away the enemy, this time the barbarians of the north. It was the largest single engineering project undertaken by the Romans. Upon completion in ad136, it extended for 73.5 miles from coast to coast – from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. Most of the structure was 20 feet high and between 8-10 feet thick, punctuated with small towers or milecastles. Little of the wall has survived, but the remaining sections, milecastles, forts and turrets are spectacular – and comprise a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The best bases for exploration of the wall and its adherent museums are Brampton (just outside Carlisle) and Corbridge (west of Newcastle). Bus 685 makes the journey between Carlisle, Brampton Corbridge and Newcastle several times a day; between May and September take the splendidly named AD122 Hadrian's Wall bus service. Call Traveline: 0870 608 2 608.

Any other British walls worth a look?

The Romans heavily fortified their settlement at "Eboracum", traces of which remain in today's York. They used it as the base for Hadrian's northern campaigns and a military headquarters for the Empire's northern European territories. Most of the 2.5 miles of wall surrounding York today actually date from the Middle Ages.

As York's status as England's second city dwindled during the Industrial Revolution, York Corporation brought down sections of the wall claiming that to maintain the structure would incur a "great annual charge". This provoked clamorous protest. The York Footpath Association set about rebuilding parts of the wall. In 1838 William Etty, who was involved in this renovation project, predicted that a successfully maintained city wall would lure visitors; nowadays the walls attract a million tourists annually.

For a preview of the walk along the walls, visit www.york.gov.uk/walls. For those who happen to be in York around All Hallows Eve (Wednesday next week), not to be missed are the various ghost tours of the city. York, much quoted as the most haunted city in England, has a number of spooky walks taking in the dark streets and "snickelways", often guided by Equity members (and there's nothing scarier than an aspiring actor). For listings contact York's tourist office (01904 621756).

And for the writing on the wall?

The Walled Towns Friendship Circle ( www.walledtowns.com) is an international association for the "sustainable development of walled towns, walled cities and fortified historic towns". With 131 members worldwide, it promotes tourism and encourages exchanges by individuals and societies within walled settlements.

So where are the best walled cities?

Not a member of the above association but surely a contender for the title of most exotic walled-city in the world, is Cartagena. Home to the most extensive fortifications in South America, the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast, is legendary for its beauty and history in equal measures. The walled old town of this fortified Spanish colonial port is a World Heritage Site and is packed with exquisite balconied mansions, churches, monasteries and plazas. Less eulogised (and well preserved) is the outer walled town of nearby Getsemani which is well worth a visit, as are the clutch of Spanish castles nearby. Head for the 17th century Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, said to have the strongest walls of all the Spanish colonial fortifications. With dismal timing, Colombia's national airline, Avianca, makes its last departure from London today; Journey Latin America (020-8747 3108) or South American Experience (020-7976 5511) can advise on alternatives.

Closer to home, Germany's equivalent walled wonder is the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is the main attraction along the Romantic Road, a well-marketed route running north-south through western Bavaria that links Germany's most spectacular fairytale castles and walled cities. Rothenburg stands on the promontory above the Tauber river.

Dating back to the Middle Ages, its Markplatz hosts one of the most popular Christmas markets in Germany (30 November-22 December). There are candlelight walking tours, speciality Schneeballen (snowball pastries) and more gluhwein than you can shake a cinnamon stick at. Two nights in Rothenberg with Moswin Tours (0116 271 9922, www.moswin.com) staying at the three-star Roter Hahn hotel costs £260 per person, including return flights and transfers.

What about that other German wall?

The Berlin Wall came crashing down on 9 November 1989. Visitors to the German capital could be forgiven for thinking that every last piece of the structure was swiftly consigned to museums, private collections or dumped, such is the seeming scarcity of physical evidence of Die Mauer in central Berlin. But contrary to the impression created by frantic city development on sites where it once stood, several stretches of the Anti-fascist Protection Barrier that once cut a 102-mile dividing boundary between East and West Berlin still exist. A sizeable stretch of it is to be found at the new Berlin Wall Memorial installation, which stands on the corner of Bernauer Strasse and Gartenstrasse. Two larger sections remain at Invalidenfriedhof, just north of the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum of Contemporary Art. More extensive still is the 525 feet of wall at Niederkirchnerstrasse, near the former Prussian State Parliament. But the longest stretch of all is the 4,265 feet of what was a once grim concrete prefab topped with barbed wire, at Muhlenstrasse; now euphorically dressed in the post-unification paintings of some 100 international artists.

It is now possible to cycle the Berlin Wall along a new bike path which takes in the route of the wall, neatly broken down into 14 stages, each one starting and ending at a railway station. Bicycles can be taken on board all suburban (S-Bahn) and regional trains. For further tour or bicycle hire information contact the German Tourist office (020-7317 0908) or go to the Berlin Tourism website at www.btm.de/english

When is a wall not a wall?

When it's a dyke. In the battle between man and nature, sea walls have proved to be a potent symbol, and nowhere more so than in Holland. There is a current school of conservationist thought which suggests that, rather than protecting coastal areas from erosion, these man-made barriers against the ocean, seldom based on an exact science, do more harm than good.

The Dutch, however, have the science of sea walls down to an art form – for the very best feats of engineering head for the Delta Region, in Zeeland. During a high spring tide in 1953, one of Holland's worst disasters hit the coast of Zeeland; a severe storm broke through the dykes, flooding the area and drowning 1,835 people. The Dutch government responded with the phenomenal Delta Project, blocking the southwest river deltas with a series of dams, dykes and, most impressive by far, the 1.9-mile storm barrier known as the Oosterscheldedam. The dam took 10 years to build. It consists of 65 pillars (each 124 feet high and weighing 18,000 tons) containing 62 floodgates which take a total of an hour to lower. It is powered by wind turbine-driven motors (yes, modern-day windmills).

Today you can visit the Delta Expo, now re-named, rather catchily for non-Dutch speakers, as Neeltje Jans (00 31 111 652702, www.neeltjejans.nl). It sits high above Oosterscheldedam, overlooking the medieval seaside coastal town of Middelburg and the Delta's element-battered islands. The main storm surge barrier is open for visits year-round, and from April to October the centre's water adventure park, a dolphin research centre and futuristic museum are open to visitors along with a wetland nature reserve with extensive walking trails.

Do walls have ears?

Metaphorically, yes. The Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City is Judaism's holiest place; measuring 160 feet across by 60 feet high, the structure is made up of massive rectangular stones and is the only surviving section of the Second Temple built by King Herod. It attracts devotees day and night. At the base of the wall the mournful cries of pious Jews can be heard as they lament the destruction of the temple by the Romans in ad70, thus the wall's colloquial name – the Wailing Wall.

The wall has witnessed a turbulent history; the Old City has been conquered by many, including the Greeks, Romans and Crusaders. As a result of the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured the Old City, including the historic wall, from the Jordanians. The future of the wall, the adjoining al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock are of the utmost importance in the Jewish-Arab conflict. At present, all are pretty much out of bounds for travellers. The Foreign Office Travel Advice Unit (020-7008 0232, www.fco.gov.uk) advises against travel to the West Bank, Gaza and to the border areas with Lebanon and Gaza. This currently includes Jerusalem and its Old City.

Have we hit a wall?

Not at all. But we can if you want and you won't feel a thing. One of the daftest new activities to hit the outdoor festivals and events circuit in recent years is the Velcro Wall. For the uninitiated, the idea is that participants wear Velcro suits, run towards an inflatable bed (looking a little like a kid's bouncy castle), throw themselves against a Velcro-covered wall and, erm, well, that's it. Often the trajectory is aided by a springboard and the basic principle seems to be that the higher up the wall you find yourself dangling, the better. Somehow this kind of dignity-to-the-wind exercise (a favourite at children's summer festivals) is considered to be particularly useful for team-building and other such concepts apparently integral to the success of any progressive corporation.

Those interested in taking colleagues away on a management development course with a sticky sense of humour should contact Wild Events (01787 269 819, www.wildevents.co.uk). The company arranges office away-days or activity weekends (Velcro included) at venues around the country or at its 30-acre country property located on the Essex/Suffolk border.