Hadrian's Wall - Astrid 'shot' and duck-taped!


Advertisement
United Kingdom's flag
Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland
June 11th 2015
Published: December 25th 2017
Edit Blog Post

Geo: 54.7894, -4.3726

Disaster on Hadrian's Wall - Astrid 'shot' and duck taped! 2 - 11 June 2015

There is not a lot to report since the last blog as we have continued to meander around the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway area but there is one incident that occurred that we hope will not be repeated.

After meeting up with Susan (Jim's sister), Ashley and Richard in Newcastle we travelled along the Military Road adjacent to Hadrian's Wall. Although still cold it was sunny and pleasant. Jim and I had visited the main sites of Vindolanda and Housesteads a few times so we decided to do the less well known spots. It was worth it as we had good views of the wall running over the ridges and crests of the hills, especially at Steel Rigg. Then we stopped at Birdoswald, which was a Roman Garrison and huge grain store supplying thousands of soldiers.

The car park was quite busy so being wary of taking Astrid too close to other vehicles we went into the overflow / large vehicle park which was empty and parked carefully. Jim went to buy tickets and I started to gather cameras and binoculars. I saw a man with a small mower come onto the grass verge around the parking area. He was about 30 yards away when suddenly there was a loud 'crack' like a gunshot. I jumped down and there, a few feet from the side door, was a Y shaped crack in Astrid's side! At that moment Jim returned as he had heard the loud noise and we both stood there horrified. A stone had shot up with tremendous force from the mower and pieced the vehicle wall.

The man who did it was upset too (but not as much as Jim and I) and he took us up to the office to see what we could do. He called his boss, we called the dealer, the manufacturer (for info about warranty, approved repairers etc) and the insurance company. We were given hot drinks (for shock?) and access to the phone so we did not have to use our prepay phone. They did everything they could to help and when the paperwork was completed they offered free parking and entrance (Jim had returned when he heard the crack and not bought a ticket), as well as a free lunch but our heart was not in it. We had a brief look around and left in sombre mood.

I kept reminding myself that no-one had been hurt (3 seconds later and it would have hit me) and that accidents happen. It was only later that night when Jim climbed into bed that I saw the top of his head. It was covered in thick rivulets of dried blood! I had noticed the sign on the entrance to the Birdoswald office saying 'Low roof, watch your head', Jim had not. He knew he had hit it but had not realised that he was covered in blood. It had not been a good day.

I had left a message with the nearest recommended repairer and we sat on the campsite awaiting a call. It was a couple of hours later that I realised my phone did not have a signal on the site. We called on Skype but they were closed. I sent pictures and a description of the damage to them but all the next day failed to make direct contact so the following day we drove to Dumfries and on to their forecourt. The 'expert' Rob came to look and did not have good news. Although the damaged area was small he said that to repair it properly and make it invisible would require the whole side wall being taken apart, removing windows and internal fittings, a job that would take a week to complete, cost over £1000 and probably need 2 to 3 months to order the replacement decals etc. He suggested a temporary repair and that we "go home" to have the work done. We didn't have the heart to explain we did not have another home, Astrid is it!

Jokingly I suggested that we have a sticker made with her name on it and cover the repaired mark with that. That encouraged us all to think about alternatives. Finally Rob suggested that we could fit an external aerial point over the repaired area. Some campsites with weak signals provide a booster point where a cable can be connected. We had used one on a previous site and had to bring the cable through the window so it seemed like a sound suggestion. A few days later he had time to do the job so now all is well and Astrid looks as good as new, apart from a few mud splashes!

Before we left the Border for Dumfries we had been able to visit Jim's brother and his wife in their new home near Newcastleton. It is in a beautiful area, in England but with Scotland at the end of their garden. We went to visit Hermitage ruins with them, managed by Historic Scotland. Jim decided to become a member which has proved an excellent move because as we had to wait around the Solway Firth area to get the repair done we had chance to visit a number of their sites. One of my favourites is Sweetheart Abbey, built for Lady Dervorgilla in 1273, wife of John Balliol, (of Balliol College, Oxford) who was father of King John of Scotland. When her husband died she had his heart embalmed and carried it around with her until her own death. In the literature they call it romantic (?).

The day of the French Open Tennis Final we were out for the morning but did not want to miss the match so we pulled into a space overlooking Port Logan harbour and found a perfect signal. The tennis was superb and between games we watched the tide come in.

I have been bowled over by the vast number of ancient buildings here, castles, ruins, tower houses, mills etc. Other sites we visited include Cardoness Castle, Glen Luce Abbey, New Abbey Corn Mill and Threave Castle. It is 800 yards from the car park to a mooring on the river where there is a bell to gong which calls a boatman across from the castle island to ferry visitors across the water. Along the river it is possible to view a pair of Osprey nesting at the top of a tall tree and we even caught site of a couple of red deer.

Another day we went to watch Red Kites at a feeding station which is quite a sight. Approximately a hundred came in for a 'snack' of raw meat. They were reintoduced as the large population which used to live here was killed off over a 400 year long period of persecution. At that time rewards were offered for their carcasses. The present population seems to be thriving well now.

This area tends not to be on the main tourist route as most people race up further north but they (and us in previous years) are really missing out. The scenery is not dramatic but pleasant and the opportunities to connect with history are tremendous.

The weather has improved a touch, it is pleasantly warm in the sunshine but still cool in the shade. Yesterday we both managed to get by the whole day without jackets and today we finally chnged out of our lined winter trousers. I thought briefly of wearing sandals without socks but that is a step too far for the present. The temperature is stubbornly remaining 2 degrees below average for the time of the year as a result of the Jet Stream moving out of position according to the meteorologists.

We are in Garlieston for a few nights and read that it was here that during the war the Mulberry Harbour systems were designed and tested as the conditions here are similar to Arromanches. Some pictures are attached which can be clicked and enlarged if you wish to read them.

In a couple of days we are moving further north, perhaps as far as Skye but plans may change as the days go by.



Additional photos below
Photos: 44, Displayed: 27


Advertisement



11th June 2015

Oh dear, so sorry to hear about Astrid but so glad that you found a good solution. Weather here has just warmed up as well but we are not holding our breathe that it will remain ... .... We saw several red kites on our way to Lincolnshire
last week. Off to Devon next week to look at some houses!!! Happy travels x
11th June 2015

Very neat, at least the stone chose a convenient spot to hit.
11th June 2015

On a Sunny Day you can't beat our beautiful Northumberland Countryside.

Tot: 0.059s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 10; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0369s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb