Gadgie Walks: BACK TO THE WALL

Back to the Wall. August 23rd.

It's a long time since we walked on Hadrian's Wall To make up for it, six of us are off to guard the frontier against marauding Scots.

The walk starts at The Sill, museum, cafe and YHA at Once Brewed, near Twice Brewed, a pub and tiny settlement on the Military Road, aka B6318 a minor road built after the Jacobite uprising in 1745. Part of it is built on top of the wall, The Sill and pub are south of it. The walk is covered by OS OL43 Hadrian's Wall,

Today's legion comprises Dave, John L., John H, John C, Ian and me.

Rear of the Sill. There is a cafe, a shop, an exhibition and a YHA.

The name comes from the Whin Sill, a strip of dolerite that crosses Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland, providing ridges for the Roman Wall and high ground for castles like Bamburgh

Car park at the Sill. £5 for a day, reasonable when you think Newcastle Airport charges £4 for a ten minute drop off.

Leaving the car park we walked south on a road before turning left and heading for Vindolanda.

Vindolanda is a Roman fort and is well worth visiting for the foundations of the fort, the museum and the restaurant. It is not National Trust or English Heritage but a ticket lasts a year, well worth it but I can't remember the cost.

However, today we walked past it, also passing a stump of rock which is the remains of a Roman Mile Post, the upper section having been taken by a farmer to be used as agate post. Vandalism or recycling, depending on your point of view.

Roman mile post near the back end of the whole Vindolanda site, been there the best part of 2000 years.

Remains of a Roman Mile post, also been there a long time.

Just beyond the museum, close to the mile post there is a track, and by the track is a footpath that leads down to a stream, crosses it and joins a minor road. A short distance down the road (mile 3) we followed a sign post and crossed a field to West End Town, a hamlet consisting of some smart houses.

West End Town ?

If you do this walk watch out for a finger post on the right hand side of the road which points to a rough farm track on the left hand side of the road which is the start of the long uphill climb over Birkshaw Hill, part grassy track, part narrow footpath. At the summit there are beautiful panoramas both north and south, and a trig point.

The trig point. The hill top was also the site of a Roman Signal Station. There is not a clear line of sight between Vindolanda and the fort Vircovicium (Housesteads) on the wall. So from this vantage point Tesxtus Sextus could send messages either way, a sort of ancient WhatsApp, but no funny little laughing faces

A panoramic view, with sheep.

After the long walk uphill it was good to be going down. Reaching a road we turned right and, at mile 5, turned left on a well made farm track that took to the B6318, aka The Military Road. Crossing it we followed the sign post for Housesteads farm. Once there we commandeered some of the benches outside the farm for a Herbie and also to keep out of the strong wind. (Apple pies, ginger biscuits and Snickers. Mrs A is away.

Lunch over we walked up past the Housesteads Museum and the west gate of the fort. The fort is well worth a visit, today it was busy with families playing at being legions and cohorts and centurions.

Housesteads west gate, built 122AD

This is the only part of the wall where you are allowed to walk on it. Obviously not the original height (9 feet or 3m). There is a path running parallel to it.

There are two paths running along the wall, one close to it with lots of short steep up and down bits. The alternative is to use the grassy track that was a Roman military road. Because of the strong west wind blowing in our faces we took the soft option eventually reaching the road at Steel Rigg where we turned left and headed downhill to the Sill.