Day Three: Walton to Steel Rigg (26 kilometres/16.5 miles)

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What a long day!

I got up early around 7 am. I had slept really well, only waking a couple of times in the early morning. It had rained again during the night, but was clear when I got up. The bacon butty I had ordered arrived promptly at 8 am. I quickly devoured its deliciousness, and went over to the farmhouse to pay my £2.50 for it. I got to meet the couple that own the farm, very friendly, nice people. Since I had a long day of hiking ahead of me, I didn't hang around and was on my way by 8:15. I got back on the trail and followed the path through fields for half a mile until I reached the village of Walton proper. I got a little lost here as I missed the trail marker so ended up walking around the village a bit, before consulting my guidebook and finding the right path. I continued on seeing the signs for Lanercost Priory/Abbey, it was to much of a detour, but I knew that today was going to be a long day, so I didn't go to visit.

I was happy to have dry feet as I walked through fields however, that didn't last too long, as pretty soon I was walking through muddy fields and the water got into my boots. However, I soon got my first glimpse of the Wall, which more than made up for my wet boots. Near Hare Hill farm there is a section of the Wall named Hare Hill. The foundations are the originals, but the towering structure is a replica made by the Victorians. I still found it impressive though. After a while I came to the hamlet of Banks, some of the others on the trail had stayed there the previous night so they definitely had a good head start on me. I continued on through fields, I was less scared of the cows now, they didn't really seemed bothered by the odd human walking through their field. I had read that there was a bull in one of the fields leaving Banks and to take care, but the field I think it was meant to be in was empty. The course of the wall followed the road (or should that be the road was built along the route of the wall?) and I was walking at the edge of fields, in areas sectioned off from the main field. This was really interesting as there was a lot more evidence of the Wall. I passed Banks Turret and Pike Hill Roman Signal Station. There was evidence of more turrets, as I passed their foundations. Turrets were basic structures situated along Hadrian's Wall, they were designed for temporary occupation by the soldiers that patrolled the Wall. Looking at its remains now, it is hard to imagine it as a two storied structure.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at Birdoswald Roman Fort. Since I had made good time, it was before 11:30, and I had mentally set myself the target of getting to Birdoswald by midday, I had time to go in for a look around. First things first, I went straight into the cafe part and bought a bottle of diet coke. I needed a caffeine and sugar fix. There were a few picnic benches outside, so I sat at one of them enjoying the sunshine, when I noticed a couple of the people from my hostel in Carlisle. Since we would be staying in the same area that evening we decided to meet up for dinner. Coke finished, I went back into the shop to pay my entrance fee for the Roman Fort. It was £6.10. The woman gave me directions on where to go, and I promptly forgot what she said, so headed to the fort first instead of the museum. The fort is obviously just a set of ruins now, but there are lots of information boards explaining what each building was and what went on there.

Birdoswald was in design a typical Roman fort, a rectangle with four round corners. It lies between Hadrian's Wall and steep cliff about the river Irthing. The fort walls would have been 4.5 metres high, the same as Hadrian's Wall. There were towers in each corner along with interval towers. The fort also had six gates. The West Gate consisted of two broad entrances flanked by two towers. The towers were three storeys high with small windows. The Military Way was the main road that connected all the forts along Hadrian's Wall and it passed through the east and west gates of Birdoswald. These gates would have been guarded constantly, so only the right people would have gotten through. There was also a drill and exercise hall, and a blacksmith's workshop. Granaries were also built there. These were huge storehouses that contained enough food to feed the garrison of 1000 men for one year.

In the 16^th century the site housed a bastle house, which was a refuge against the robbing and looting that took place along the Borders during the Middle Ages. A bastle house was a strong fortified dwelling with two levels, the ground floor for livestock and the first floor provided safe accommodation as the ladder could be pulled up, stopping others from entering. The house that stands there now was added at a later date. I enjoyed walking around the walls of the fort and heading over to the far side so I could see the river and the gorgeous views. There is a bench there so you can sit and chill. I think it would be a nicer spot to have a picnic than the picnic benches in the courtyard. I also had a look around the museum, which was interesting. I enjoyed the sit down I ad while watching the video. I had definitely spent longer there than I should have as it was almost half twelve by the time I left.

From the fort I continued on, the path took me down to the river and over the Millenium Footbridge. The river was flowing pretty fast in places, but there was a shallow spot, where I wished I'd had the time to take my socks and shoes off and dip my feet in. The Wall came back into view again as I got further away from the river. I followed the trail going uphill and then down to reach the edge of the village of Gilsland. When I got to the signpost I saw that there was a diversion in place. Just as I was about to head away from the sign, a bloke pulled up in his car and told me to ignore the diversion. He said that even though there is no bridge crossing, it is still possible to cross the river. He gave me directions and I took his advice, feeling a bit like a naughty schoolgirl as I was technically breaking the rules. I walked through the field and saw that the river was, in reality, tiny and although there was no bridge, there were some stone slabs that you could use to cross it. The slope rose gradually and I came to the top and to a railway crossing. I kind of wished that I had taken the route through the village as the prospect of getting squished by a train on the Newcastle to Carlisle route wasn't an enticing one. You can see quite far in both ways, up and down the track so seeing that there was no train coming, I quickly crossed. Having just checked something in my guidebook, it actually says that there is a sharp curve in the track so to be vigilant! I'm glad I read that after and not before the crossing.

I'm glad that I took the original route and not the detour as I would have missed out on seeing Poltross Burn, which is Milecastle 48. It was signposted from where the detour met back up with the original trail, but knowing my own laziness, I probably wouldn't have wanted to backtrack to look at it. The trail met up at the bridge that crosses Poltross Burn. The path crosses a road, which you could detour down as there are a couple of pubs there. Back through another field and then again out on to a road. I think this is the point when the trail goes through someone's garden. The trail overlaps with the Pennine Way just before I had to cross the railway line again. This time wasn't as scary.

I saw the remains of Thirlwall Castle up ahead. I as feeling knackered so decided to take a break there. I briefly explored the ruins before finding a little nook in the shade in which to enjoy a chocolate bar and some water. Thirlwall Castle was built by John Thirlwall in the 14^th century. It had high and thick walls that were made by 'recycling' the Roman stone. These walls helped repel attacks from during the Anglo-Scottish border raids of the 15^th and 16^th centuries. There is a legend that during one of the raids a servant became possessed and his the family's most prized possession, a gold tablet. He and the tablet are said to still be in there, protected by a magic spell. I then crossed a small footbridge over Tipalt Burn. The houses there were really pretty and I also passed a bunkhouse, but there didn't seem to be any sign of life there. The next part was a steep climb up pasture. It was hard work but the views from the top were stunning.

At the main road, I was a little lost on which way I should go as there seemed to be no signposts. I was going to keep on walking along the main road in the direction I was headed, but I saw a bus stop and a car park so headed over there to see if it should be that direction I should head in. There were a few picnic benches and a small shop. The shop workers were out enjoying the sun and I felt guilty to disturb them even though they assured me I wasn't. I was hungry by this point, as it was about three o'clock so I decided to take a break. The shop sold sandwiches and I selected cheese savoury in a poppy seed bun. A proper English sandwich. I washed it down with an orange fanta, a nice sugar hit to keep me going. Since it was a really hot day (I think I read or heard after that it was the hottest day of the year), one of the shop workers kindly offered to re-fill my water bottles. She was concerned as I still had quite a way left to walk. After taking a twenty minute rest and using the bathrooms (very clean), I checked which way I should head. I walked past Walltown Quarry and took the trail uphill. There were lots of people out and about enjoying the sunshine and the scenery. The path became a lot steeper as I ascended to the top of the hill. This area is called Walltown Crags. The views were stunning, I could see back down to Walltown Quarry and the surrounding landscape, and also see the wall stretching ahead. The trail also wasn't very clearly marked, but since there were a lot more people in the area, and a lot of them looked like they were hiking Hadrian's Wall, I just followed them. The main path seemed to be on the top of the crag, but lots of people were walking on the lower ground, as it was easier. I think that the lower path is the Pennine Way, not that it matters as they run in parallel for quite a while. There were lots of ups and downs on this part, and I as knackered the heat didn't help at all. I stopped to talk to a hiker coming the other way. I had thought that I didn't have too much left to do, but she told me that I had a lot more ups and downs to go. I was gutted! I noticed that there were also lots of people coming out for an early evening hike or fell run. They looked so fresh compared to me. Aesica, the Great Chesters Fort was somewhere along this stretch of the trail and I completely missed it. Oops!

The trail did give me some respite as after descending a bit, it seemed to flatten out. I also walked through an area shaded by trees, that was bliss. I was also back to walking through farmers' fields. I was surprised at how busy this section of the trail was, as time was getting on. There seemed to be lots of school type groups, which was strange since it was the summer holidays. I later found out that the young people were doing their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Bless them, they all had big maps and were having to use them to orienter themselves. The trail continued on, blissfully smooth, to Cawfields Quarry. There is a toilet block there. The quarry was pretty and the water looked quite refreshing, although there are signs telling you not to swim in it. Following the path and leaving the quarry, the trail began to rise again. I wasn't too far away from the end only a couple of miles, but it took me forever. I reached the top of Crawfields Crags, I was bloody knackered only one more hill to climb! It was so hot, I had almost run out of water and was having to conserve it for my last uphill climb, and I was sure I was sunburnt. I got a bit lost coming down from Crawfields Crags as I saw some people heading down away from the wall. Was this the proper trail? There were no trail arrows, so I descended a bit, before realising it was the wrong way. I was annoyed with myself at this point for extending my walk. (I later learnt that there are a few detours down to Twice Brewed and I think this was one of them.) The last climb was a killer, I don't know why, it's not like it is particularly high or steep, but I guess having been a lazy bum for the past couple of months has really made a dent on my fitness levels.

I had reached the highest point on the course of Hadrian's Wall. There was some kind of marker there and a group of women, who were already there told me it was the highest part. I felt like I should feel happy, but I wasn't I was so tired and felt disappointed with myself as the highest point isn't very high. I was at the top of Winshield Crags Green Slacks is only 345 metres high, but it had been a real bugger to reach. The views were gorgeous, but my tiredness took the shine off of it. I could see the pub where I was staying that evening in the distance. I had mixed emotions, I was happy that the end (for today) was in sight, but I knew I would have to partially re-trace my steps uphill tomorrow. I started to head down at first going through some field and then hitting a small road. I saw a camping barn and wished for a second or two that I was staying there as it was closer. The weather was glorious and I saw people just setting out for a nice evening stroll. I made it to the main road turned right to reach Twice Brewed.

The pub I was staying at is a place called Twice Brewed. It is a pretty unusual name. The area is known as Once Brewed and Twice Brewed. There are a few reasons on why the area has these names, but my guidebook seems to go with the most practical. The pub was opened by a farmer, who saw a chance to make some money with the influx of construction workers and passing trade to the area. The place was so popular that he had to water down his beer to keep up the demand. This lead to disgruntled patrons, who demanded that the beer be brewed again. I was so happy to finally be there and to get checked in. The pub seemed fairly large and was modern in its décor. When I had booked the room online, there had been a glitch on the website meaning I was unable to book a single room and had to pay for a double. Since I was doing the booking from outside of the UK, I just bit the bullet and paid the extra, as it was too much hassle to call them. The lovely guy at check-in had noted and apologised for the error and offered a refund or credit. Since I knew I would be eating dinner there, I opted for the credit. I also picked what I would like for breakfast in the morning and at what time. They offer packed lunches, but a quick glance at the price put me off from ordering one. It was a hard slog getting up those stairs to my bedroom. The room was lovely and a nice piece of relative luxury, after my strenuous day. First things first, I popped the kettle on, had a brew and ate some of the complimentary biscuits in the room. Then I managed to move my body towards the shower. I was so knackered I ended up sitting on the floor in there, which proved to be a problem when I had to stand back up to exit.

I had arranged to meet a couple of women that I had met at the hostel in Carlisle for dinner, as they were staying at the camp site close by. When I got down to the bar, they were already there and had just ordered. I had a look at the menu and decided what I was going to have to eat. The bar was busy with hikers and locals/visitors. The car park was pretty full when I had arrived. We sat and chatted about our day and other stuff, while waiting for the food to arrive. I had also ordered a pint of the local brew, named after the pub, 'Twice Brewed'. It was good, but not something I would rush to order again. I sat drooling as the others' food arrived before mine. It looked really good and they confirmed that it tasted as good as it looked. At long last my food arrived, I had ordered the twice cooked belly pork. I was tempted to go with the chicken stuffed with haggis wrapped in bacon, but I had already had 'Chaggis' twice recently. The food was beautifully presented, I loved the little jar filled with gravy, such a cute touch. I really enjoyed my meal, I could have eaten it twice. It was served with potatoes, black pudding, apple sauce and a side of vegetables. Truly delicious, the only niggle I have is that I could have used a steak knife to cut the pork, as it was tough going with a regular one. We were all shattered so didn't linger after dinner. I spent the rest of my evening vegging on the bed watching TV.

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Photos

Hare Hill
My first glimpse of the Wall

Hare Hill
My first glimpse of the Wall

Hare Hill
My first glimpse of the Wall

Path
Skirting the edge of a field