Hadrian's wall - A 12.5 mile hike - day 3


Advertisement
United Kingdom's flag
Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland » Haltwhistle
August 19th 2019
Published: August 21st 2019
Edit Blog Post

20190819_09024620190819_09024620190819_090246

Twice Brewer Inn & Pub
19 August 2019, Monday

A hike along the Hadrian's wall trail, from Steel Rigg to Walltown Quarry - 7 miles 670 feet elevation gain.

Let me start by saying that when one walks one has time to think. today I came to the realization that Hadrian started building this wall in AD122 and the Hadrian's Wall country bus number is 'AD122'; Coincidence I think not.

Here at the Vallum Lodge breakfast consisted of a choice of several items. I chose salmon and scrambled eggs, served with coffee, yogurt, fruit and different cheeses. Samantha, proprietes and owner, is adept at providing each person with their choice ordered the night before as they came in to the dining room for their breakfast. She has six ensuite rooms each sleeping two people and does all the work herself.

Fortified with this breakfast I set out to walk as much of Hadrian's Wall trail as I could going into the wind to the West. As I was leaving I did notice that there is luggage transfer service for those who want to walk Hadrian's Wall from coast to coast. The couple I met night before last at dinner had contracted with
20190819_09194220190819_09194220190819_091942

Acorn trail symbol
a service providing lodging and luggage transfers. But 16 miles of walking each day to cover about 80 miles.

It is about an 8 minute walk down the road to join the access trail to Hadrian's Wall at Steel Rigg, that I had visited yesterday.

I had just gotten onto the trail heading up the ridge when I was soon passed by Don and Sue the couple from Auckland, New Zealand, that I had met at dinner the evening before at the twice brewed inn. Unlike myself they were not returning to the Vallum lodge but continuing West into the brisk wind.

The path was rocky with some grass, lots of mud made by the livestock which also use the path and frequent steep climbs or steep descent. The ground is very wet also. The grassy parts have been mowed. The signs are of wood and lettering paint faded. But the national trails acorn and other symbols mark the way. This is helpful at Stone and wooden stiles. I have some photos along the wall as well as some of a fort and guard post foundations. These were placed approximately every mile along the wall. I encountered
20190819_09235120190819_09235120190819_092351

Stone ladder stile
many people walking in both directions along the path and, of course, most of those going in my direction were overtaking and going past me.

Winshields is an area of the path which is like our continental divide. To the east the waters join the river Tyne flowing into the North Sea. To the West the flow into the Irish Sea. An obelisk stone marks the spot of divide along the wall.

My first break was it Cawfield's Quarry where they have nice picnic tables and restrooms. Continuing on there were good views of the landscape. Though cloudy and very windy (in my face) the promised rain in the afternoon did not show up. So we had partly cloudy skies and even some sunshine for the day. The distance to Cawfield quarry was about three and a half miles. The distance from here to Walltown Quarry another three and a half miles. At Walltown Quarry again there were restrooms, an information area and picnic tables, so I paused here to have an apple and use the restroom facilities. While here, a couple from Melbourne Australia stop to chat for a few minutes. Interestingly the week before they had
20190819_09243920190819_09243920190819_092439

The path mowed grass
been in Las Vegas. The gentleman grew up in Scotland but went to Australia and New Zealand playing soccer professionally and stay there mading a career in the movies.

I thought about taking the bus back but decided to walk back along the highway. The bus would not come for an hour and 30 minutes so I elected to walk. It is somewhat dangerous as there is absolutely no edge (in England called verge) along the road. Therefore, I had to step off of the road into the grass and hope I wasn't in a ditch every time I met a car. This proved to be about a 5 and 1/2 mile walk and add another 330 feet of elevation gain bringing my total for the day to 1000 feet.

I arrived back at the Vallum Lodge around 4 in the afternoon and immediately used the foot massage machine warm water with lavender scented oils. A treat I have never used before help marvelous on my feet. Samantha told me she had stayed at at B&B near Osmatherly, while walking the Wainwright trail, Coast to Coast, that gave her the idea of these at her own B&B.
20190819_09322920190819_09322920190819_093229

The Winshields explained

Oh and I did see the bus pass me at about 3:30 and about one mile from the Vallum Lodge. I also passed a herd of cows with markings resembling a skunk, white strip on back and black sides.

Passing the sign to Haltwhistle, I noted it is the center of Britian. When I asked about the location of Go Whistle, no one knew. The photo of the horned sheep is a little small.





Additional photos below
Photos: 27, Displayed: 25


Advertisement

20190819_09401820190819_094018
20190819_094018

Continental divide
20190819_09404420190819_094044
20190819_094044

The weather and the wall
20190819_10232320190819_102323
20190819_102323

Faded wooden trail sign
20190819_09520020190819_095200
20190819_095200

The wall along the way
20190819_10232720190819_102327
20190819_102327

Marker at kissing gate
20190819_10271520190819_102715
20190819_102715

Guard tower ever mile
20190819_10272120190819_102721
20190819_102721

Base foundation of tower
20190819_10521620190819_105216
20190819_105216

My 130 cm poles and stones of this fort along the wall
20190819_10525820190819_105258
20190819_105258

The fort diagram
20190819_11021320190819_110213
20190819_110213

The wall extended up and beyond the lake until it was all removed at this quarry
20190819_11041820190819_110418
20190819_110418

The quarry
20190819_11101920190819_111019
20190819_111019

More signs
20190819_11193620190819_111936
20190819_111936

A close-up section of the wall
20190819_11294620190819_112946
20190819_112946

Horned sheep
20190819_12094320190819_120943
20190819_120943

Trail marker symbols
20190819_12111420190819_121114
20190819_121114

The wooden stiles over stone wall


Tot: 0.3s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 12; qc: 51; dbt: 0.1062s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb