Hadrian's Wall Walk ... days five to nine

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October 4th 2017

Published: October 5th 2017

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smatlanek

Above the bed in last B&B

Day Five: The Romans Came...Conquered...Retreated...after 300years ...September 30

The trail today was steep, rugged and of a “be careful” nature.

There were nineteen such situations. The walk went along crags/outcrops with sharp drops off the right side of the path and vertigo causing downs for every steep up during the whole day. The vistas to be viewed are the best to be had while doing the Hadrian's Wall Walk. It is the portion most looked forward to by walkers.

The only part of this torture-to-my-wonky-knee-walk that I completed was the climb to the Walltown Crag.To get there I walked thru the Walltown Quarry from where much of the stone used for the wall was taken.

My day had begun by leaving Old RepeaterStation Inn behind … and not soon enough. The room was reasonably clean. The man/owner serving food had unrully stubble on his face and greasy hair on his head. Both days he wore the same soiled vest over an unchanged shirt. He drank three whiskies while I was working on my blog in the breakfast room. In the morning he charged me 10.95GBP for dinner and asked had I had liquor ...NO...I looked at

Cathedral Ceiling

my visa while paying bills online and the chicken showed up as $18... s*%!t(MISSING) … I don't believe I paid that for a frozen dinner.

The 09.30 bus in front of the B&B took me to Housestead gift shop for stamp number four. Hung around for an hour because the bus driver drove off in front of my face....may a thousand gnats invade his crotch...

An hour later bus AD122 took me to the Roman Army Museum. A map in the museum shows all the places that the Romans built forts and garissons.... covered all of the UK ...except Scotland. They did not venture onto Ireland ... why not ... have to google that ...from wiki ..."Hiberno-Roman relations refers to the relationships (mainly commercial and cultural) which existed between Ireland (Hibernia) and the ancient Roman Empire, which lasted from the time of Julius Caesar to the beginning of the 5th century AD. Ireland was one of only a few areas of western Europe that was not conquered by Rome.

I was very much looking forward to reading all I could about the Roman invaders and watching the 3D movie at the Roman Army Museum.

What a fabuluos surprise.

Roses and Dahlias

There was information …. a myriad of numbers... about the different formations of army groups. Weapons, clothes, food, transport and jewelery were on display. Many artifacts come from Vindolanda a site nearby that is an active archeological dig. This year finds here a welcome&info centre newly opened, offering interested persons a closer look at ancient Romans in Britannia.Bus AD122 drops people at this site and all the other sites of interest....remains of forts, turrets and outcroppings of the actual walll from 2000 years ago.

Having done justice to the museum and having partaken of tea, I prepared to walk the remaining distance to the next B&B.

The HolmesHouse lies remotely behind a field occupied by a flock of sheep right on the Hadrian's Walk Path. The room was very pleasant. The bathroom small and clean . The mattress was perfect. I walked the half mile to the pub, ate beef lasagna, drank a small beer, chatted with a few men and walked back before dark. ...had forgotten my torch … did not want to trip over the sleeping sheep. It was a good day.

Day Six: Walking into the West Wind/Gale ...October 1

One of Huindreds of Gates

In the morning after an almost full english breakfast I walked out the door, onto the pathand on my way thru rain and wind . The muck was once again an issue... my poor boots. Thank goodness they are Vasques... the perfect boot and my third pair. After this trek I may have to invest in one more pair. It was rather an uneventful day... did I just say that... goodness me ... I am walking in the steps of Roman Legions from 2000 years ago.

The absolute best part of today was that for a very long time....hours... the path lay exactly beside the wall. It was thrilling to think that men worked here in these hard conditions....compared to Syria or Italy ... laying down this monster wall. Hadrian himself only visited the wall. He was not present supervising the building of it.He was busy building the Parthenon, his wondrous villa and being the Emperor of Rome. This was the BEST day! Just walking beside the Wall for such a long time raised my spirits and made the effort of doing this threk worthwhile.

"Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana)

For those with an interest in

A Descent PAth

antiquities, the Villa Adriana is worth a day to itself (from Rome). The Emperor Hadrian conceived a countryside dwelling here that would by normal standards be considered a town. A gigantic complex with underground service passages big enough for vehicles (tantalising glimpses are still visible), the Villa incorporates lakes, fountains, libraries, baths, temples and gardens. The area covered is staggering, and highly confusing even when armed with a map; it's easy to imagine the emperor himself asking for directions." from internet

Even though it rained and I was a mess, the arrival at the B&B made it all worth it. This is a magnificent find in the middle of nowhere, a mile off Hadrian's Wall Path.

Abbey Bridge B&B in Lanercost

"The Abbey Bridge was built in 1832 as a public house called the Black Bull, although there had been a hostelry on the site of what was an important crossing of the River Irthing for at least a couple of centuries beforehand. The building is Grade II listed and made from the local sandstone under a slate roof. It has 5 letting rooms a dining room, guest lounge and a boot room. The Blacksmith's stands alongside

Joys of English Countrytside

the Abbey Bridge and dates back to 1691. We have an honesty bar that stocks beer, cider, wine and soft drinks.

Many of our guests are walking the Hadrian’s Wall long distance footpath, which is under a mile from Abbey Bridge. We have good clothes and boot drying facilities (our boot dryer will take 10 pairs of wet walking boots) if the Cumbrian weather has been unfriendly." this is an abbreviated description from their website ... every word is true.

The boot room is amazing....the boots are hung on tubes that will spew warm air thru the boot to dry it out. My boots today are a total disaster...full of mud and WET...on the outside. Only sank ankle-deep into mud once today. Stopped at Birdoswald to get my fifth stamp. At the same time stopped to admire the double sized AGA that was in the kitchen. After eating a pistachio cake and drinking hot tea the trek continued.

Because only three people are staying here at the Abby Bridge B&B the proprietress did not cook and offered to drive to a pub...at 19.15...I'm in bed by then ... and then I have to return when she wants

Felled by the Gale

NO NO NO ....ate a soup before I came at the Tearoom beside the 12th century Priory and bought a "wrap" that I ate with hot chocolate provided on the refreshment table in the room. ... ate the stuffing not the ..what is it ? Tortilla? ... threw that away.

Today there was no sun... rain but not downpour ... mud to your eyeballs in places... tanksbetogot I bought those gaiters. Bended the rules just a bit todday ...twice... walked on road instead of grass and mud and accepted a lift for the last mile because 1) was lost again...2) it was raining.Tomorrow its 20k again but it looks relatively flat.

Attached find how I felt today ... have been talking to the cows.... addressing the sheep ...and today convinced a man to take off his Barbour so we could see the style... Classic Beaufort...the man after whom the Sea is named in Nunavut. He also invented ...I think it was something to measure wind speed..."The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale." from iternet.

Speaking of

Muck Mire Mehem

which ... the winds today were at 43mph ...that's 69kph. Tomorrow the winds are expected to rise to 56kph/90kph. I will catch a bus! There was a wind warning on the weather channel yesterday. Here's the report on the evening news ...

"North West England ... Forecast Summary ...This Evening and Tonight

It will be mainly dry through the evening but a few showers are likely, these becoming more frequent by the morning. Becoming even windier towards dawn with a risk of gales in exposed areas". ....just LOVELY! am really looking forward to the morning.

Day Seven ... hit the tarmac to Carlisle ...October 2

In 50mph gales I walked 9km ... there were times my Tilly hat would have been cow fodder had I not tied it under my chin. The noise in the leaf-filled trees was like a transport truck coming down the highway. With each of these gusts there was the danger of these mighty oaks letting go a heavy branch. The path was already covered with many small pieces of tree and a lot of acorns had been torn from the branches on high.

Reaching

Not a Joke!!

Newtown, a small hamlet, I looked around and walked towards a building where cars were in the parking lot. Taking a big chance I knocked on a door. People were inside setting up for a harvest supper ... 7 pounds per plate seemed the bargain of the day. A man and two women were about to leave.... it was my VERY VERY lucky day. Ray, the man, was driving to Carlisle for physio. He offered to take me as far as the Cathedral.

The weather was still blustery. After having soup and tea in the Cathedral Cafe and reading a magazine I visited the Cathedral. It was most impressive. The arches are high the windows a mosaic of stained glass. Snuck a few shots... two pounds were asked for to get photo permission. Am not cheqp and anyway it was the beautiful floer arrangements I was inerested in.. the cathedral was much too grand for my little Samsung phone camera to do it justice. After admiring the structure, speaking with a volunteer and spending time oggling the Advent Calendars in the gift shop .... really really wanted to buy one, they were so unique... I left the

These were clean

... the absolute dirty pic I cannot find ... its somewhere in the inner workings of this too sensitive notebook...the keyboard is a terror...

cathedral grounds and began my search for Langleigh B&B.

Walked thru the town past shops restaurant and coffee places.Went to the HSBC bank to get money. Lowther,Warwick, Howard place were the streets to follow. Asked a few times and was at my destination in good time.

This B&B is nice .... tooo much fru fru....curtains....shag rug....huge duvet ...pillows out of the wazoo...I think its supposed to be french....her name is french...has had the B&B for 16 years... going to have breakfast in a room with no windows.... Will be staying in this Frufru place for two nights ...couldn't be the B&B from yesterday for a two night stay .. BOOHOO ... the husband was very helpful in clearing up the taxi instructions. The woman has been collectiong for over thirty years...I asked ... and I swear she has the collection spread all over the place collecting dust. Therefore the Frufru appellation.

After coming to grips with all the clutter went to eat Thai on the recomendation of the " French chef " at the Frufru.Came back with plans to work in bed on blogs and watch something online ... it was not to be... the shower was horrible, avoided the red shag rug in front of the buffet and the toilet bowl...fought with huge duvet... put the extra sheet I had asked for one between my body and the duvet.... does she change the cover after each guest? SHE MUSt ...but taking no chances...the matress was good.

Two more days with Hadrian ... today was hard ....walking into the 50mph gales.... always wary that branches might fall on my head.

Must admit.... it is a bit B-O-R-I-N-G .... cows...sheep.... mud... shit... But Hey I am living the english country side... will have had my fill of it by the end of tomorrow.
Today I have to be done by 14.00 because the taxi driver has to be ready to do the school run and tomorrow he will not be picking me up till ten!

???? is he the only taxi guy out there

Day Eight ...the shit hit the fan... and crawled up my legs ...October 3

Today was the last straw... four times I was faced with a quagmire of mud the size of a livingroom.... and the only way around was either past an interested bull or along a barbed wire fence overgrown with nettles and blackberry or rose thorns.... the expletives were flying and I became mad!

A man who said just walk thru it helped my spirits somewhat ... he told me to test the path with my stick, that it was hard underneath. This advice worked until one deep miss-step.

Having to go up a hill using grass clumps for traction was too much. Almost lost a few times. The fear is to get stuck and then falling over in an attempt to get the foot out of the shit hole. Finally ....out of the quagmire and on solid ground. The friendly mann and two Australians went somewhere along the trail. I walked the rest of the way to the Greyhoungd Inn on tarmac following the road signs.

I stopped at a farm and the farmer helped me wash my gaiters...he even used a brush. My boots are caked with brown grime. Even the laces are coated in mud/shit. I thought my boots would last the trip...I may have to buy a new pair after this fiasco day. Do the Hillwalk people know how bad the trail is?..

At one crossroad I saw a sign...Windfall - please help yourself ... and picked a lovely apple out of the plastic bin. Ate it with gusto during the second night at the Frufru. The rest of my dinner I had picked up at the Mark&Spencer FoodHall.

New Rule: from now on....three days of anything is it.... nine days of walking was just too much... AND I AM NOT STEPPING INTO ONE MORE FIELD ... no matter where the trail is... Hadrian wasn't here anyway ... am checking the map to see where the tarmac is! It was not fun today!!!

Day Nine...Wind-Rain-Trudge ... Oct 4 ... to the end

After a second night at the Frufru B&B with a second breakfast of omelette cooked by the 'çhef' I waited for the taxi who would bring me back to where I had stopped yesterday...The Greyhound Inn. The trail lead straight ahead. I stayed on the tarmac ...no more fields for me ...not after yesterday. All went well....the tidal flats to my right, the muddy fields to my left. The sign read “Cows Ahead' for 2m. Some stood directly on the road. Not a one moved at the approach of cars,trucks, busses or me with my walking stick. I made no eye contact with these very close to me cows. And the road lead on in a straight line. And the wind blew fiercely. And I lent into the wind and persevered ...for 12 km. Then it started to rain. Thinking ahead I watched for vehicles going in my direction ... i.e. west! If I became a total puddle from the rain no one would let me in their car.

Walked only on the road today... until the rain started... had been walking into a wild wind AGAIN... so the distance covered equals the total of 12km. Stopped a guy with two kayaks on the roof and he took me the rest of the way...in the rain... at least not pelting

The Kayak Man was kind enough to let me into his van and take me west even though he was pointing east as he turned around. HE had been to Sudbury ...don't ask how I find these people but it sure was fun. We spent a lovely time together walking the Solway, meeting Roger, the old gieseer who spelled out your home town, your distance from home, took a picture of you with your camera and then asked for a donation. I had a pound.

Kayak man had warned me about Roger.

We continued to the Banks, a place specially erected to pay homage to the Romann presence in Bowness. The structure of wood, the tiles forming a picture on the floor a la Rome Villa and the garden planted with flowers that had been introduced by the Roman (pansy and nettle....who knew) was ever so lovely. Too bad it was pissing rain.

We looked for an openn pub.... let me refrace that... looking at the only pub in town to be open ... but no luck. We could not sit and chatter longer over a pint. I went to the Shore Gate House B&B but they were not ready for me so the proprieter drove me to an open pub in Port Carlisle. There I ate a perfect pea soup and had a great cup of tea. The people were so nice I chatted with them in front of a wood fire.

The Shore Gate House B&B is perfect! Spacious, sparkling, minimalist table for working, chairs for sitting, kettle, tea and snacks. Because I had to catch the 07.30 morning bus back to Carlisle my lunch was two boiled eggs, an apple and a banana.

At the train station I bought a coffee, two magzines and a raisin something or other pastry. At ten the train left for Scotland. Goodbye Hadrian ... left all the info in the trash can.

I am ready for a rest in Fort William, Scotland at the western end of the Loch where the monster lives. ;-)

Sorry... not many pics ... Oct 3, 4 are hiding somewhere in my notebook and I cannot find them.:-(

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