Walls , gorges, quarries and villages!
We set off early to find Hadrian's wall surprisingly close and easily accessible. When we arrived we decided to turn left leaving right turn for another day.
Gordon took up his position ready to rebuff any Scottish incursions. Another tick off the bucket list. It was well worth the wait and the effort. A real feeling of history.
This section of the wall is apparently the most intact in its prime it was 15 feet high and ran for 84 miles with towers every 1.5 miles.
The views were amazing and we were lucky with the weather not only dodging the rain but having the clouds and sunshine added to the dramatic scenery.
After walking alongside the wall we turned away from it as we reached the quarry .
We crossed the old Roman road that serviced the wall. Before we followed the old railway tracks that connected the quarry to the village of Haltwhistle.
This was a old industrial area with a plethora of coal mines both opencast and underground. Alongside the old mills.
Nowadays there's not a lot here apart from sheep farms, pubs and tourists.
It was a great walk alongside the river through the gorge followings the old railway track.
We crossed the river as we headed for the village.
Not a lot in the village today but it's claim to fame is that it's the center point of Britain. I didn't realise that the distance from Dover to the border is the same as the distances from the border to John O'Groats.
There are the most fortified houses here than anywhere else in the UK. The borderlands were forever being raided by by both the Scottish and the English. These houses are called Bastle Houses and are spread across Northumberland. Very sensible I would say. Could do with those in Totton.
We left the village heading up a steep hill towards the campsite. Looking back towards Haltwhistle
Across the fields pass an abandoned and derelict farm. Seems strange that this had been left to crumble. You would be hard pressed to find a better view.
Our journey today was mainly under the watchful eyes of the field's inhabitants. The hills are alive with the sound of ewes calling their lambs to safety as Gordon menacingly stalked past!
It's a beautiful place and I believe a dark skies area so we have our fingers crossed that we get some cloudless nights.
That's what the wall would have looked like. Tomorrow we are going to try and catch the bus along the wall and the walk back. Not sure how far we are planning on walking. We will have to wait and see how Raes back managed the 8 miles we did today.