#Hadrian&039;s Wall

[wherekizzialives]

Fascinating Footnotes

I doubt anyone who has been reading either my blog or my newsletter for any length of time is unaware that I like to use footnotes, both to cite sources and to add a bit of clarity/an amusing aside when I think putting it in the main text would break the flow. However I realised, thanks to a comment left on one be-footnoted post1, that I really didn’t have much idea of the history of the footnote…

[llovephotography]

Hadrian's Wall near Hexham

I recently visited Hadrian’s Wall at Halloween. With clouds hanging low over the hills and fields, with sudden bursts of sunlight, it gave me the opportunity to capture the atmospheric scenic views along the part of the existing wall near Hexham. View more of the images at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/213935377/Hadrians-Wall Location photography by Chris J Parker

[silentkpublishing]

THE LAND BEFORE SNOW

IF TIME STANDS STILL ANYWHERE, IT’S AT BEDE. IF GHOSTS HAUNT ANYWHERE, IT’S IN BEDE HALL. But ghosts are nothing compared to the challenges haunting a curmudgeonly building with a desire for eternal life. BEDE HALL WAS ALIVE BUT EVEN IN BEDE, IMMORTALITY WON’T LAST FOREVER! History comes and goes. Empires rise and fall, civilizations flourish and cultures collide. The laws of probability…

[stomouseio]

Landmarks around the world turned blue for Saturday's UN Day

Landmarks around the world turned blue for Saturday’s UN Day

From New York to Giza, from Petra to Vienna, landmarks around the world turned blue for Saturday’s UN Day, marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations working with and for everyone, everywhere. #UN75

Source: United Nations

[thestarfishdancer]

Another few days in Scotland, and though it doesn’t feel like home, I don’t exactly feel like a visitor, either. This is a nice change, as is having all my things in the same hotel for several days on end. I do like to travel to lots of places, but there’s definitely something to be said for not living from a suitcase.

The past few days have been a combination of laid back and eventful in turn. After my Highlands tour on Thursday, I’d made plans to climb Arthur’s Seat with Yvonne and Peyton from my goEUgo redline tour. I puttered about in the morning, then made my way to Holyrood Park to meet them after stopping to buy a Ridacard (electronic bus card with my picture on it and everything) for a week. It was windy and rainy, so we made the call not to climb that day, and instead went for coffee, since the teahouse we’d hoped to go to was full. Peyton and Yvonne indulged me, and we went to the Elephant and Bagels coffee shop where I ate many a bagel while writing in a little corner back in my uni days. I had, alas, just eaten lunch (haggis, neeps and tatties!), so no bagel for me, though I may go back and grab one for old times’ sake in the coming few days.

Stuffed and on display, Dolly the Sheep, the first successful clone.

After that, we did a bit of wandering around Victoria Street for a bit, so I could look for Christmas present ideas, then we stopped into the Scottish National Museum. We thought we had an hour, but it closed at 5 pm not 5:30 as thought, so not much was explored this time. It was neat to see the fashion exhibit on the first floor, and there is the stuff Dolly the Clone Sheep, which was rather cool to check out in our brief time there. Entrance is free, so the short time didn’t set us back any!

  After that, we continued with our post-Arthur’s Seat plans: dinner at the Sheep Heid Inn’s pub, one of the oldest if not the oldest continually-operating pub in Scotland. It was a good meal with good company, and I’d very much go back again. The chicken and leek pie I had was amazing, and the three of us also split the sharing dessert platter – five amazing dessert selections. Then it was buses back to our respective stays, with Peyton and Yvonne kindly helping me navigate. I’m doing okay on the public transit so far, but that first day I was nervous and my sense of direction is ALWAYS dicey at best.

One of the works on display: Dunnator Castle by Walter Hugh Paton

Saturday I didn’t get up to much, either. I’d hit that point where I kind of just wanted to stay in my room all day, but also felt that I was wasting my time if I didn’t go do something. Also, I did have to do something fairly crucial – laundry. The in-house laundry service here is EXPENSIVE. It’s eleven pounds for one dress! Instead, I did a whole load, washed and dried, for about eleven pounds (possibly twelve, I’m not certain how much I spent on the drier in the end). I did have to take a bus to get to the laundromat, as there doesn’t appear to be a lot of them in Edinburgh anyway, but I made it and have clean clothes enough for this last stretch of time. Then, I made my way to National Art Gallery for a while, taking in the art.  The collection is good here, and it’s also free! I love that about the United Kingdom – they make galleries and museums accessible to everyone!

After that, I felt I’d appropriately left my hotel long enough, so went back for the evening. I also wanted to get an early night, because Peyton had let me know she was planning on going on another tour on Sunday, and so I decided to join, and so did Yvonne! So we made our way to Rabbie’s Cafe for our small coach tour with Rabbie’s, the same tour company my parents and I went to Skye with, years ago. It was just as great. Only 7 of us on this small group tour, and our guide Dave was funny and engaging. He also made the most of the daylight hours, taking us to a few scenic stops on our way to Jedburgh, where I went in the ruins of the old Abbey. The entrance fee came with an audio guide, and it was neat to learn about the history of the place. After that, it was off to the Borders.

It’s me! In England! By a big rock that says England, because I’m in England!

For some reason, I had in my mind that a Borders tour would be one “border” of Scotland on the seaside, so was ecstatic to realize we were going to cross over the Scottish border into England. I’d never been into England! And now I have! We went to the remains of Hadrian’s Wall, then on to Vindolanda, the ruins of an ancient Roman fortress. It’s being excavated on an ongoing basis, in part because of the Vindolanda Letters being found there. These are the ancient remains of old letters on wood, showing regular, every day life in the area.

Lanercost Priory, lit by sunset

After Vindolanda, we had just enough daylight time for one more stop, the Lanercost Priory, and old haunt of James the Second of England, also known as The Hammer of Scotland. Only part of the church has remained in use over the years, so it is partly preserved historic building, but also partial ruin. Very interesting dichotomy!

From there, it was time to make our way back to Edinburgh, through a long, beautiful sunset. Yvonne and Peyton made their way back to their campus for game night (their professor designs board games and the students get to test them out, how cool is that!) and I went back to crawl into bed, because the weather was looking like it might be nice the next day, and I had PLANS.

Those plans? To finally climb Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano described by Robert Louis Stevenson as “a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design”. You can drive up part of the way, but I did the hike from the bottom up, all the way to the peak. It was hard, especially since I am not in the greatest shape and, sunny or not, it was a bit frosty out and therefore slippery at times on uneven ground (and the last bit is steep!). But I made it! I pushed myself all the way up to the very summit, and with rewarded with panoramic views of the city and beyond.

After that, I made my way back down via a bit easier route because I thought it would take me closer to my bus stop (spoiler alert! as ever, my sense of direction is terrible and it did NOT). I made it, however, in more than enough time to head to the One Spa, where I’d booked the Escape. There are no pictures allowed, of course; no one wants to be subject to strangers taking photos of them in their swimsuits. It was the perfect escape after my hike, however, with a lovely pool that swims out to the outside, plus various things to try out in the thermal suite, from saunas to those thermal chairs I liked on my cruises and more. It’s not cheap at 75 pounds, certainly, but there’s no real time limit. I stayed the recommended three hours and no longer, but mostly because I hadn’t eaten lunch and needed to get food in my tummy more than I needed to stay in the glorious rooms. I would certainly do it again; a nice treat once a trip.

As for today, it was mostly personal things. I met an old tutor for brunch, then made my way to see another local friend at the bookshop I used to haunt/got some work experience with the owner/freelance editor (said friend). After that, I did some more shopping – Dad, your present is covered, but that’s all I’m saying! – then back to the hotel. Tomorrow will be more of the same, more or less – though I do plan to do some of the shopping at the Christmas Market, which I’m excited to do! Also, learned today that whoever I called at the front desk the other evening was mistaken – Crowne Plaza DOES do in room service whether their restaurant is open or not, which means I got to do pyjama dinner tonight. Very pleased (and not just because I bought my own wine this time).

  EU Go, Girl! Adventures in Europe: Part # 12 Another few days in Scotland, and though it doesn't feel like home, I don't exactly feel like a visitor, either.

[graphicpolicy]

Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel, and Rod Reis’ Hadrian Wall Has Been Optioned as a Film

Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel, and Rod Reis’ Hadrian Wall Has Been Optioned as a Film #comics #comicbooks

Gunpowder & Sky’s sci-fi label DUST announced today that it has acquired the rights to Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel,and Rod Reis’ interstellar noir comic, Hadrian’s Wall, and has partnered with Higgins to develop into a feature film that he will write and direct.

Billed as a locked-room murder mystery in space, Hadrian’s Wall follows a pill-popping detective sent to interview the crew of a…

[foreverlostintravel]

Walking Hadrian's Wall - 12 Things You Need To Know

Walking Hadrian’s Wall – 12 Things You Need To Know

Disclosure: Advertising and affiliate services, including Amazon Associates, help the cost of running my blog. Clicking ads or making purchases through affiliate links may, at no additional cost to you, earn me a small commission. I appreciate your support. Six months of planning, training and excitement about walking Hadrian’s Wall. Yet on day one I soon realized there were things I had not…

[cineastesview]

Quid Romani Faciunt Nobis?

Quid Romani Faciunt Nobis?

The vallum is quite visible through most of the wall trail. Julius Caesar did little more than land in southern England after conquering Gaul. He claimed British Isles for the Roman Empire and then left for more illustrious (read: warmer) locations. It wasn’t until Emperor Claudius returned in 43 AD that Rome really made an impact on the local landscape. In less than five decades, lower Britain…

[aishatonu]

Roman Britain

Hadrian’s Wall I decided to take a day trip down to see Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England.  It was strange:  as soon as we crossed over from the Borders, the land grew flatter (but still with periodic hills) and more farmy.  I was going to say “less interesting” but considering I’d never seen England before, that seems a rather ballsy or condescending thing to say.  Everything is interesting…

[traveltash]

Sunny Carlisle

[samanthajameswriter]

Archaeologists Discover Hundreds of Ancient Settlements North of Hadrian’s Wall

Archaeologists Discover Hundreds of Ancient Settlements North of Hadrian’s Wall

Archaeologists were able to uncover one-hundred and thirty-four settlements north of Hadrian’s wall that had never been seen before. The discoveries that the archaeologists have made were part of the “Beyond Walls: Reassessing Iron Age and Roman Encounters in Northern Britain project” (more…)

[travelphilosopher]

For the second stage of my walk I had planned to tackle the Carlisle end and walk from Bowness on Solway to Carlisle, and then get a bus over to Newcastle as a one day bus ticket (£11.30) is just a few pounds more than the fare to Bowness (£6.30). The plan was to get the bus to Chollerford and pick up from where I had left last time the next day.

As many other stated, the Bowness on Solway sector can be a hard one to plan, with only a three buses going that way, and the earliest which I got at 12.50 with an arrival time of 13.37 which doesn’t give you much daylight for walking. The other option was to walk to Bowness and get a bus back, but there are only three; one at 7.34, 10.32 and 18.57. There is one though at 17.14 from Bowness that goes to Anthorn and arrives at Carlisle at 18.08. There aren’t that many places to stopover in the area, and to be honest there isn’t much else to see.

  I fell ill with a slight cold and cough a couple of days before I set off for Carlisle, but as many do, I didn’t think I was that ill and felt the fresh air would do me good. It was raining when I arrived in Carlisle and I toyed between resting in the hotel or doing the walk. I passed the Gretna Bakery and bought a yummy 6 inch pizza for 90p, that would keep me going for the day. After discovering the tiny bus station in Carlisle I decided to I would get the bus to Bowness on Solway as planned and then get the bus to Newcastle.

I sat in the bus station, well really it was a bus shelter with about 7 bays and eavesdropped on the locals who were complaining about the buses. The 93 was late, and apparently the locals knew the driver well, and it was a habit of hers. The bus didn’t take cards, so I used cash for the £11.30 North West Explorer which gave me unlimited travel on all buses in Carlisle and as far as Newcastle upon Tyne. The journey on the tiny bus wasn’t eventful as we went through estates and some barren countryside. I made a mental note of the paths I would be returning on and it wasn’t very scenic.

As we ventured further towards the coast a few walkers were on the path, and in Burgh by Sands a cluster of groups were spotted, and a couple of people got on the bus. It looked like a grandmother and her grandson and by the size of their backpacks it appeared they had been camping. As I traveled through more remote and rural villages, I eventually arrived in Bowness at 13.48 a little later than scheduled.

It’s a sleepy village and the lady who got off at the stop asked if I was lost. Well, I was a little as there were no signs and google maps was not being helpful. I said I was looking for the stamping station and she pointed me in the right direction (to go back) to the banks promenade. I mentioned this to the grandmother and the grandson who were also looking to get that precious stamp and we both ended up at the little shelter where the box was. However, the stamp was missing and had been stolen. I had read about this a while back and assumed it had been replaced, but it hadn’t. The alternative was the King’s Arms pub that we passed, but the grandmother said it was closed. For them it was the final stamp for the card and were pretty upset. I looked up the pub and google said it was open, and so the three of us trekked back and peered around the place to find it was open, just the doors were closed as they were painting. I got my stamp and so did the little boy, and I bid them farewell as they decided to stay and eat there.

Online timetables for buses aren’t always useful and the ones at the bus stop are generally a better source of information. I knew there was one around 7 p.m. and a cursory glance at the timetable posted at the bus stop  said there was a 17.14  back to Carlisle. This information proved to be very useful later on.

The time was now just after 2 p.m. and I ‘d felt I’d lost half an hour of walking which is about 2 miles with the bus delay and the hunt for the stamping station. I retraced the route that the bus took, and I knew I was going to be in for a quiet and lonely walk as there were very few walkers around. I took a path off the road at Port Carlisle where I found another sign and took a photo. I then heard a ‘hello’ from behind and saw an old man in an open garage who asked where I had come from.

Roger at Port Carlisle

Meet Roger, the man who made the sign, and who lives in a cottage on the path. He was retired had made an interchangeable sign that he could customize for walkers to take photos. There’s a small donation box, and he says the little extra helps, but most of all he loves meeting people from all over the world, and we had a nice chat about this and that, but I was conscious of the time and that in order to get to Carlisle and the last bus to Newcastle I needed to crack on.

The path continued through the banks towards Glasson, where the bus had previously stopped. There wasn’t much there at all, and I continued on a very long and empty road. I had to think of myself as a Roman soldier as I plodded on. By now I had learnt not to rely on signs as I passed one saying Burgh by Sands was 3 miles away and Carlisle was 8.5 miles away and that I had walked 4 miles in 1.5 hours. I needed to up my pace as it was approaching 4 p.m. and I was anxious whether I would make it to Carlisle or find a bus stop in time for the last bus. The rate I was going meant I wouldn’t get into Carlisle until 7.30 at least, and my original estimate had been 6.30 without the delays. Plans really don’t always work out in rural areas.

A sign for Burgh by Sands

Yet another

Another sign

The walk to Burgh by Sands was the longest 3 miles I had ever walked and it took nearly an hour. I got to Burgh West End where I decided to rest on a bench as I could feel a blister wanting to appear. Carlisle was 6.5 miles away and I had walked just over 7 miles. The time was 16.44 and I had to decide what to do. I had nearly run out of water and had hoped to stop in a pub, but if I carried on to Carlisle the arrival time was looking more towards 8 p.m. and it was getting dark, and the outskirts of Carlisle didn’t look particularly safe. I checked online for the timetable of the buses and saw that there was supposed to be a bus passing through at 16.53 and had to make a quick decision whether to jump on the bus and get back to Carlisle or go to the pub and try to walk a bit more before the 7 p.m. bus.

How most of the path is from Bowness on Solway to Burgh by Sands

I wasn’t feeling so great and had been coughing, and with the new blister forming I had little incentive to continue. I’d done half the walk in 2.5 hours, but quite frankly I was bored. Now buses in these rural areas sometimes don’t turn up or are late, so I decided to wait it out because all I had seen was cows and sheep and cars speeding past me, and the coastline was too faraway to appreciate. It made me wonder why I was doing the walk, and if I carried on what would I achieve? If it had been earlier in the day I would have carried on or if I was with someone, but alone on empty roads and paths really is no fun.

I waited until about quarter past five and there was no sign of a bus still as my heart skipped a beat each time I heard an engine come around the corner. I decided to make my way to the Greyhound Inn, then I wasn’t sure if my eyes were deceiving me when I saw a bus with 93 on it. I quickly ran or hobbled back to the nearest bus stop and ran into the road to make sure it stopped. Someone was getting off as it happens and the bus driver apologized for being late as the bus had broken down. I didn’t care as I was able to sit down somewhere warm and know I would at least make the 19.25 bus to Newcastle.

The bus was about 30-40 minutes late, and by the time I got to Bowness there were a few walkers waiting to board the bus. The grandmother and grandson were there as well as two other walkers, and the bus tried to make up time, but due to scheduling the driver was told to pull over just before getting into Carlisle and to swap buses with another which created a further delay. I consoled myself with the fact at least I was going to be on the 19.25 and not the 20.25 bus. Allegedly the journey would take 79 minutes, but later realized that too was not wholly accurate. It’s a long journey of about 60 miles, so I was getting value from my ticket at least.

I went through most the towns I would hopefully be walking through at a later stage including Brampton, Hexham, Bardon Mill, Haltwhistle and Corbridge. I arrived in Newcastle Eldon Square about a quarter past nine, and made my way hastily to the hotel. By now I had decided I was going to have a lie in and I was coughing quite badly and made the decision to have a rest day. My friend had already offered to meet me for a late lunch the next day in the city and with that choice being made, I luxuriously watched repeats of NCIS and other shows in bed until there was nothing left to watch.

I realized that this walk isn’t about ticking it off the list, but about what you get out of it and walking all day on an empty road or path just wasn’t doing much for me. Maybe one day I’d go back and finish the Carlisle sector, but having seen where I’d be walking, it wasn’t something that in all consciousness I would look forward to.

The cows and sheep that kept me company on this leg of the walk

Hadrian’s Wall Walk ~ Stage 2, Day 1; Bowness on Solway to Carlisle For the second stage of my walk I had planned to tackle the Carlisle end and walk from…

[silentkpublishing]

THE POWER OF SNOW

There are three generations of Stratford-Smyths ‘living’ in Bede Hall. THE FOURTH IS THE GHOST OF A NINE-YEAR-OLD GIRL, WHICH MAKES THEM FOUR GENERATIONS SPANNING FOUR DIMENSIONS. Bede Hall is old. The word ageless barely covers it, and the word timeless is an outright lie. Older than time is closest to the truth. But even then, strictly speaking, the Hall is older than history. The Hall hovers…

[archaeologyinbulgaria]

Full Set of Four Early Roman ‘Horseshoes’ Discovered at UK’s Vindolanda Fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Full Set of Four Early Roman ‘Horseshoes’ Discovered at UK’s Vindolanda Fort near Hadrian’s Wall

The full set of four 2nd century AD Roman horseshoes found at Vindolanda in the UK is a very rare discovery. Photo: Vindolanda

A full set of four Ancient Roman horseshoes known as hipposandals has been discovered during excavations at the Vindolanda fort near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland in the UK. (more…)

[stuartbramhall]

The Roman Military Occupation of Britain

The Roman Military Occupation of Britain

When Rome Ruled Britain Directed by Eric Tenwolde Film Review Apart the filmmakers’ claim that Roman military occupation substantially improved life for early Britons,* this documentary seems to provide a reasonable account of the Roman conquest and pacification of the British Isles. This documentary starts with Julius Caesar’s two failed invasions of of Kent in 55 and 54 BC, based on the…

[silentquizzer]

Quiz fact of the day 13.01.2021

Quiz fact of the day 13.01.2021