Muro latericio aliud in *
When I was in Standard IV at Scotforth St. Paul's C of E Junior school we had a teacher called Mr Sarginson. This was in 1955. Like many of the teachers people my age suffered he was ex army and quite keen on discipline. He once caned Derek Redmond for writing "he walks like a duck" although the poor unfortunate Derek did explain Mr S. has said describe anybody in the room and what attributes they had. I probably chose Rosemary.
Mr Sarginson told us in History that Hadrian's Wall was actually built of turf and as he was the teacher and teachers in those days knew everything I believed him. Later I realised he was wrong, what sort of teacher was he then?
Some readers may need an explanation. Hadrian's Wall was built on the order of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Construction started in 122AD and took four years, but then he didn't need planning permission. Crossing the narrow neck of the island from Bowness on Solway to Wallsend on Tyne it marks the northern border of the Roman Empire. Was it built to keep the Picts and Scots out? Or, like the Berlin Wall was it built to keep people in? Did Trump get his idea for a border wall from Hadrian?
It does not mark the boundary between England and Scotland although many southerners think it does, including political commentators who should know better. As several of us pointed out to some professor of political theory, writing in The Sunday Times, Boris Johnson's empire does not stop at the wall. Most of Northumberland and a chunk of Cumbria lie north of it and have English MPs at Westminster.
From first coming to the Newcastle area in 1964 I have enjoyed walking on the wall, Mr S was right up to a point. Part of it was originally a turf wall but this stretch was later rebuilt in stone.
Some people walk the length of the wall, about 73 Imperial miles or 80 Roman miles. There are several forts along the wall, the best known being Housesteads, every mile there is a Milecastle and between each of them are two turrets. Most of the stone work that went into the wall has been recycled over the centuries, farm buildings and houses. And some of it is beneath a road. Nevertheless there are good walk to be had on it or close to it. Originally about 9 feet high and wide enough for legionnaires to walk on, protected by a ditch on the north side and another on the south side and a supply road.
This week's remembered gadgie walk, you will not be surprised to know, is on or close to Hadrian's handiwork.
Better get walking. The walk is covered by OS OL Explorer 43, Hadrian's Wall. And for real enthusiasts there is a National Trust map which is very detailed. This map cuts the wall into sections. You could cut the map into sections and, to the amusement of your daughters, laminate the pieces.
Once again we have a full team out and once again we have perfect conditions, cool with a breeze on our backs, even when we change direction.
We are starting the walk at the National Trust car park at Steel Rigg. To get there take the A69 west and at some point turn right and drive north to the B6318, known as the Military Road. You can reach it from Hexham or Haltwhistle. Go west on the Military Road to Sill at Twice Brewed. The Sill is a new visitor centre for the wall and a Youth Hostel. Next door is the Twice Brewed pub which has its own micro brewery. Breakfast in The Sill. Take the minor road on the right by the pub and head uphill for a short distance. The car park is on the right. Charge of £4 for a day. The machine is often broken so leave a polite note.
Picturesque place to park, good view over a section of the wall too.
Once we were ready we left the car park and turned right and walked down the minor road until we reached a gate on the right. Through the gate and onto the footpath across fields. Just beyond Peatrigg Plantation we turned left and followed the footpath to Gallowshield Rigg.
When I was in Standard IV at Scotforth St. Paul's C of E Junior school we had a teacher called Mr Sarginson. This was in 1955. Like many of the teachers people my age suffered he was ex army and quite keen on discipline. He once caned Derek Redmond for writing "he walks like a duck" although the poor unfortunate Derek did explain Mr S. has said describe anybody in the room and what attributes they had. I probably chose Rosemary.
Mr Sarginson told us in History that Hadrian's Wall was actually built of turf and as he was the teacher and teachers in those days knew everything I believed him. Later I realised he was wrong, what sort of teacher was he then?
Some readers may need an explanation. Hadrian's Wall was built on the order of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Construction started in 122AD and took four years, but then he didn't need planning permission. Crossing the narrow neck of the island from Bowness on Solway to Wallsend on Tyne it marks the northern border of the Roman Empire. Was it built to keep the Picts and Scots out? Or, like the Berlin Wall was it built to keep people in? Did Trump get his idea for a border wall from Hadrian?
It does not mark the boundary between England and Scotland although many southerners think it does, including political commentators who should know better. As several of us pointed out to some professor of political theory, writing in The Sunday Times, Boris Johnson's empire does not stop at the wall. Most of Northumberland and a chunk of Cumbria lie north of it and have English MPs at Westminster.
From first coming to the Newcastle area in 1964 I have enjoyed walking on the wall, Mr S was right up to a point. Part of it was originally a turf wall but this stretch was later rebuilt in stone.
Some people walk the length of the wall, about 73 Imperial miles or 80 Roman miles. There are several forts along the wall, the best known being Housesteads, every mile there is a Milecastle and between each of them are two turrets. Most of the stone work that went into the wall has been recycled over the centuries, farm buildings and houses. And some of it is beneath a road. Nevertheless there are good walk to be had on it or close to it. Originally about 9 feet high and wide enough for legionnaires to walk on, protected by a ditch on the north side and another on the south side and a supply road.
This week's remembered gadgie walk, you will not be surprised to know, is on or close to Hadrian's handiwork.
Better get walking. The walk is covered by OS OL Explorer 43, Hadrian's Wall. And for real enthusiasts there is a National Trust map which is very detailed. This map cuts the wall into sections. You could cut the map into sections and, to the amusement of your daughters, laminate the pieces.
Once again we have a full team out and once again we have perfect conditions, cool with a breeze on our backs, even when we change direction.
We are starting the walk at the National Trust car park at Steel Rigg. To get there take the A69 west and at some point turn right and drive north to the B6318, known as the Military Road. You can reach it from Hexham or Haltwhistle. Go west on the Military Road to Sill at Twice Brewed. The Sill is a new visitor centre for the wall and a Youth Hostel. Next door is the Twice Brewed pub which has its own micro brewery. Breakfast in The Sill. Take the minor road on the right by the pub and head uphill for a short distance. The car park is on the right. Charge of £4 for a day. The machine is often broken so leave a polite note.
Once we were ready we left the car park and turned right and walked down the minor road until we reached a gate on the right. Through the gate and onto the footpath across fields. Just beyond Peatrigg Plantation we turned left and followed the footpath to Gallowshield Rigg.
At this point my laptop died. My son in law tried desperately hard to revive it telling me what to do by means of a video link. But we failed to resuscitate it, it has joined the Monty Python parrot. I have borrowed this applemac and shall finish the walk but I haven't sussed out how to add pictures so they may be added later.
From Gallowshield Rigg we followed the footpath to West Hotbank and then alongside the south edge of Greenlee Lough.
Greenlee Lough, nature reserve This little lake is a nature reserve and you can walk all the way round it but we walked on to Kings Crags and declared it a suitable place for a Herbie.
Dave, who is an archaeologist said that it was an old Roman quarry and there was some graffiti there. I was hoping to see something along the lines of SEPTIMUS IV IULIA SEMPER but we found nothing.
King's Crags
It was an excellent Hebie though, flapjacks, Ben's gingers, almond slices, almond roca and chocolate brownies from Mrs A.
Lunch over we crossed the fields to Sewingshields. This has nothing to do with stitchcraft, the name comes from Sigewine's Shiels. It's old English for Siggy's shelter. The more modern farm house is built from stone from the wall though. Vandalism or recycling, take your pick.
This is my favourite strtetch of wall. Starting in a wood near the farm the track (A Pennine Journey on the OS map) follows the wall itself and soon comes to Housesteads.
Housesteads then and now (Vercovicium to the Romans)
Housesteads is probably the best known of the forts on the wall. Known to the Romans as VERCOVICIVM (did they have lower case letters?) it has a visitor centre down on the road and a Museum on the wall. In summer it is crawling with school parties, and quite right too. The foundations of the fort are clear to follow and explore, granaries with hypocausts, barracks and latrines. It is a National Trust site and if you park there, just off the road, it has a modern number plate reading payment system, even for NT members. I once drove in the exit but it still caught me.
Back on the track and still on the line of the wall the footpath crosses the Pennine Way, Britain's longest walk and then comes to Hotbank Farm. At the foot of the hill beyond the farm the path climbs again and follows the edge of the Whin Sill above Crag Lough.
Section of the wall
Crag Lough from Hotbank Farm
Kevin Costner's tree at Sycamore Gap
Milecastle
This section is beautiful, views across the lough north, down into the lough which usually has swans on the water. Beyond it the wall path is a series of short climbs and descents, including of course the famous Sycamore Gap where Robin Hood, heavily disguised as Kevin Costner arrived within minutes of landing at Dover.
This section is beautiful, views across the lough north, down into the lough which usually has swans on the water. Beyond it the wall path is a series of short climbs and descents, including of course the famous Sycamore Gap where Robin Hood, heavily disguised as Kevin Costner arrived within minutes of landing at Dover.
Beyond the wall sits on Steel Rigg which is often used by climbers. After a short descent the path reaches the car park at Steel Rigg.
For refreshment we went to the Twice Brewed pub down the road from the car park. The pub has its own micro brewery and is next door to the Sill, information centre, cafe and Youth Hostel.
* Just another brick in the wall
Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2020
This walk is about 10 miles
Robin's sycamore
Crag Lough
Lambs on the wall
Resting on the wall
More piles of stones
These two gentlemen had come from the USA to walk the wall
Near Housesteads
This walk is about 10 miles
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