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Published: August 21st 2019
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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