Hadrian's Wall Archives - Woman on Her Way

August 20: Newcastle and Wallsend

Yesterday we waited at the B & B for FedEx to deliver our credit cards. They arrived around 3 PM and we almost ran a mile with our backpacks to the bus stop to catch a ride to Hexham. We got there with just a minute to spare. From Hexham, we took the train to Newcastle. The Visitor’s Bureau helped us find lodging–a hotel chain called Jury’s…at last, I was warm in a building and had reliable, but slow, WiFi.

This morning, we took a city bus to Heddon-on-the-Wall to complete our hike to Wallsend. According to the guidebook, it should have been an easy eight-mile walk; it turned out to be twice that.

We stopped for lunch, and I tried two things that I have seen since I arrived England: Coronation Chicken (a cold chicken and curry sauce sandwich), and Ginger Beer. I don’t usually drink soda, but I liked this strong fermented ginger ale.

The walk today was mostly on a rail trail, like the Legacy Trail in Sarasota, Fl. It followed the Tyne and was quite lovely through Newcastle with all its bridges. The weather was agreeable, high 60’s, and I even rolled up my sleeves.

From Newcastle to Wallsend, the trip was unbearable long. I don’t know if it was because I was anticipating the end, but that last five miles felt much longer. At last, at 4:50 P.M., we arrived at Segedunum fort and museum, which was closing. Glad to get off our feet, Dennis and I and two walking companions we met when we stopped for lunch took the train back to Newcastle for a celebratory beer.

Tomorrow we head for France.

August 18: Heddon-on-the-Wall

Sandra, the B & B proprietor expressed a local axiom, “Rain by seven, clear by eleven.” Since it poured this morning, I was hoping the adage was accurate. Though we had a cloud burst at 11:30, when we ducked into a tea shop, the rest of the day was sunny, though windy. Since the predominant winds come from the West, we were happy with our decision to walk to the East. For a change, the winds are to our backs, helping us climb steep hills.

We met several unprepared east-to-west hikers who were limping along or looking distraught. Apparently they started hiking Hadrian’s Wall Path yesterday, and their bodies had not yet adjusted. One person had so much gear, I doubt he was able to meet his destination today without taking a cab.

We walked 18 miles from Greencarts to Heddon-on-the-Wall in about seven hours. We started at 9:30 A.M. at Blackcarts with what turned out to be the last visible section of consolidated wall (First picture). The Blackcarts turret (above right) is one of the better preserved, and most likely predates the wall.

From here forwards, there are only traces of the wall, sometimes lumps under the grass. Off course, the ditch on the north side of the wall and the vellum on the south side are visible. Several times throughout the day, we walked in the ditch on stones placed to prevent soil erosion and to keep our feet out of the mud.

The remainder of the day’s journey was through fields that were often muddy, single tracks through forests, on pavement or stone paths–even on busy streets. Often times, the only trail indicator was the green, mowed grassy corridor, and we wondered what winter hikers use to follow the path when the ground is covered in snow. Though the scenery was beautiful, nothing was breath-taking.

This section was riddled with stiles—53 of them—almost three per mile. These ladders used to climb over stonewalls were, at times, no more than a few feet apart. See me poking my head out through the second stile in photo on left.

Unlike the middle section which is mostly distant from the road, today we walked through several villages with many opportunities for food and drink. We stopped for tea to wait out the rain, had a carrot and coriander soup for lunch, and a “carvery” (buffet) at the Swan in Heddon. With all the exercise, I had no trouble eating a plateful of food.

From there, the taxi back to the B & B recorded 17 road miles and cost us £25 ($38)… a price we were only too willing to pay, since we had no other way home.

We have only eight miles left (from Heddon-on-the-Wall to Wallsend), and we should finish our hike tomorrow. Then off to France.

August 17: Greencarts

Dennis felt well enough today to walk, so we took the bus to Housesteads to resume walking where we had last stopped. Because this section of Hadrian’s Wall Path does not have sufficient and convenient hiker accommodations, trekkers tend to stay in one place several nights and leapfrog to various trailheads: walking forwards, and then returning by bus; or busing ahead, and then walking back to where they are staying.

Today was overcast, making for dark photos. It was very windy, with light scattered showers. As I walked, I commented that I have not been warm since leaving London a month ago. It is cold in the buildings; even with the thick down comforters, I shiver in bed half the night, especially when Dennis and I are in bunk or twin beds. Today, even Dennis was cold in our room at the B & B. We should be leaving northern England in a few days, after finishing walking Hadrian’s Wall, or when FedEx delivers the credit cards, which are now sitting in a local FedEx building. Tomorrow is Sunday and Monday is a bank holiday. Not knowing when they will be delivered makes planning our itinerary difficult.

Today’s highlight involves a standoff with a young bull who did not want me entering his pasture. I kept talking to him and he finally let me pass. He eyed Dennis in a menacing way, but let him pass also, then turned around to butt him. Dennis heard him grunt and jumped facing the bovine while making a loud angry sound; the bull relented and backed off.

From here to Wallsend 30 miles away, the terrain levels off and the Wall becomes more scattered and buried. We are going to attempt the distance in two days; we are both ready for France.

We had Indian food delivered to our room. I had the best Chicken Tikka Masala. We ordered what we thought would be enough food for two nights, then Dennis’ appetite clicked in. Since he has been ill, he’s eaten very little. Glad to see him back to himself. Since the start of our journey, he has lost considerable weight; I, on they other hand, have not.

Below, left picture is of Roman Alter; right one is of the milecastle ‘planter.’

August 15: Greencarts

This morning I tried to pay my bill at the B & B, but the credit card was denied—twice. After contacting the Visa, I discovered that the credit card had been hacked and that someone had tried to purchase $10,000 worth of games on it. I was lucky that my the credit card company watches for fraud and abuses, and had blocked the card. Unfortunately, I am traveling in Europe and using the credit card has been the way we pay for our accommodations, meals, and just about everything. Not having the credit card was going to be an inconvenience.

I contacted our credit union and they offered to FedEx the replacement card to our B & B; it should be here tomorrow or Saturday the latest. I am so grateful at the assistance provided us by the Information Center Specialist at the Digital Credit Union.

We took the bus to Greencarts. Its only about nine miles away, but took about an hour to get there. The driver was very accommodating, dropping us off at an unscheduled drop. From the road we walked about a half mile to the B & B. Dennis was spent and went to bed.

In the afternoon, we took the bus to Hexham to get cash out of the ATM, go to the pharmacy, and purchase a few groceries. We had 45 minutes to scurry back to catch the last bus of the day. We had the same driver as in the morning, and he again dropped us off at Greencarts.

Hopefully Dennis will be better tomorrow.

August 14: Housesteads

Starting from Once Brewed and heading East is a steep ascent that gets the heart pumping. At the top of this climb, we took a 20-minute rest. Dennis awoke unwell this morning, but insisted on continuing the walk. The climb up the hill exhausted him; the break allowed him to continue forward. He is such a trooper.

Today there was just a slight wind to our backs and, for the first time on this walk, I rolled up my sleeves–guess I am acclimatizing, because it was only in the low 60’s.

Milecastle 39 has only a north and south entrance, unlike many that have four gates. This section of the Wall (from Once Brewed to Housesteads and then to Vindolanda, where there is a Roman Fort and Museum) attracts many tourists, as evidenced in the picture on the right. Most people are day hikers without packs; there are many children and dogs. We saw a wide-eyed brother and sister walking with swords; the brother ready to defend the family from horse thieves . I guess he did not quite grasp the historical meaning of the wall.

Descending into Sycamore Gap (left) provides this unique view and is probably one of the most photographed gaps on Hadrian’s ‘Wall. Some of my movie-buff friends may recognize the tree from “Robin Hood, Prince of Wales” where a boy was rescued by Kevin Kostner.

Archeologists are waiting for the tree to die so they can excavate the gap, believing that will unearth a lot of artifacts.

The wall here is very wide (right). Dennis is six feet tall and, as he lies on the wall, the wall is much wider.

Shortly after this gap, we walked in a forest. Until then, I did not realize how much I missed the woods or how accustomed I had become to the open fields, sheep, and cattle. I found the trees very comforting.

Dennis and I love to talk with other hikers. Benn, now eleven, started hiking when he was five.He has hiked in the Lakes District, a mountainous region in Northwest England, and in the Alps. Today’s walk must have been a breeze for him.

He is a very talented guitarist and his grandfather, left, bought him several electronic guitars, including one from Eric Clapton.

Milecastle 37 is the only one to have a partially surviving arch. These gateways limited the height of goods coming into the fort.

Coming into Housesteads, there is an opportunity to walk on the wall; for a short distance, you can pretend to be a Roman guard walking the wall, looking down on the steep precipice to the valley below.

August 13: Once Brewed

We slackpacked today, a hiking term for carrying only a small pack. Since I did not sleep well last night, I was happy to travel lightly.

We took the bus to Once Brewed, so named if going eastward, but named Twice Brewed if coming from the west. From the visitor center, we clopped on tarmac for about a mile to get onto the Hadrian’s Wall Path.

The cold winds (never hitting 60 F) made my nose dribble all day. We climbed the highest point, Winshield Crag, where there is a geological survey marker. (See left.)

Today’s excursion was strenuous with lots of steep climbs and descents, which I find scary. Dennis almost runs downhill while I place my feet with care and hang on to whatever I can–even a blade of grass provides me assurance. I fear banging my sore knee or tripping and falling on it. Though the gash from the bicycle fall has healed, the knee is very sensitive to bumping.

The size of the wall is difficult to imagine. The picture on the left below shows how wide the wall can be (about 8 to 10 feet), while the photo on the right shows how high it was–imagine it with the gap filled, creating a wall stretching from the top of the rocks on the lower left to the top of the wall on the hill, perhaps 20 or 30 feet high.

The lower left picture shows the base of a turret, while the one on the right shows the ruins of a milecastle. Each small fort was spaced a mile apart and had a turret a half mile before and after it, and these stretched along the wall all across the Scotland-England border. Originally, historians thought the purpose of the wall was defense; now the thinking is that it was a way to control flow of goods into the country while applying a tariff or tax–a sort of toll road.

August 12: Greenhead

The clouds touched the Pennines Mountains in the background and scattered showers on us throughout the day. We managed to walk 7 miles to Greenhead, stopping along the way to visit historical sites and museums. Even though the weather was gloomy, we were in high spirits.

For the past two days, I have been trying to quiet my mind and let nature and the beauty of the Wall fill me with its wonder. Unfortunately, I am too preoccupied with the now–where to put my foot without stepping into dung, the beauty of the scenery, and my unstopping mind. I think about what to blog, about what living as a Roman in this environment must have been like, or something Dennis said which triggers a song. For me, meditating is very difficult.

I never tire of the pastoral scenery, the sheep and cattle, the openness. This section is hilly, but not mountainous, and the alternating climbs and descents makes walking interesting. The rain made it slippery in spots and definitely muddy, but we managed to have a very good day. I am so happy to be out of cities and back to nature.

There are more hikers going west than east, sometimes in large groups. At the hotel tonight, we met two hikers (Stuart and Malcolm McKay who wrote a book about the Camino, The Path). They are staying at the hostel across the street from Greenhead Inn, where we are staying. They will stay there again tomorrow, take the Hadrian’s Wall Bus forward in the morning, and then walk back to the hostel. Sounds like a good plan, and we are considering doing the like.

Today we purchased an English Heritage Oversees Pass, which entitles us to nine days of “free” entries to heritage sites throughout England. We visited the Birdoswald Roman Fort. The museum had artifacts from the fort, a Roman Soldier (acted by Tony Wilmott) School teaching kids dressed in Roman garb how to become a soldier; the kids were quite enthused.

It was amazing to see the archeological remains. Birdoswald housed 1000 Romans. There were granaries, baths, blacksmith shops, kitchens, butchers…everything needed to live at the fort. I find it difficult to imagine building this with the tools available 2000 years ago; it exemplifies how people underestimate the capabilities of people in ancient times.

August 11: Banks

The day started out cool and remained that way with afternoon showers. We got a late start (10:30 A.M.) because, based on misinformation, we went in search of a pharmacy that was supposed to be a half mile away, but turned out to be 1.5 miles. This 24-hour store has limited hours on Sunday and was closed. Three miles and one hour wasted.

Getting out of Carlisle was easy; the path is well indicated. We did not see the beginnings of the wall (most of the stones have been removed for housing) until we reached Bleatarn (Blea Tarn) Park where we could easily see the vallum or ditch on the south side of the wall. Bleatran was originally a quarry to get the stones to build The Wall. (See depression in ground on right.) There is a visible track from where they dragged the stones to the wall. The wall was 15 feet high and 8 to 10 feet wide.

Our first siting of the wall was at Hare Hill. Until this point, we saw a few turrets but did not see or, perhaps, recognize a milecastle, a gateway set every Roman mile and used to admit goods and people into England, most likely after paying a tariff or tax.

From here on to Banks where we had reserved a room at the Quarryside B & B, it was mostly up and down hills through farms. At one kissing gate, stood an enormous bull, bellowing and looking distraught. I was afraid to enter the field until I noticed a cow in another field mooing back. The bull was too much in heat to be concerned about two people passing by.

When we arrived at the B & B, Elizabeth, the hostess, treated us to tea and orange cake. Later her husband drove us to a pub for dinner.

Tomorrow we will only walk seven miles…there will be a lot to see.