Written April 1, 2023, at Langley Castle, England.
Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today. Signs on the side of Twice Brewed brought a smile.
Christine captured a shot of me as I made my way back to the Wall, and for five minutes there was sunshine.
It’s a wonder what a good night’s rest, fresh legs, and an energized spirit can do. It doesn’t hurt that it’s my birthday.
There were many people on the trail today, but virtually all were taking a Saturday stroll. There may have been one or two that were through-hiking, but east to west. My track is west to east.
There were periods of rain but never of sufficient intensity to warrant putting on my rain trousers. However, mist on the camera lens may have impacted the quality of the photographs.
Once more the guidebook grossly underestimated the distance and provided less than accurate directions on two occasions. 8+ miles and 22,000 steps with more precipitous up and down terrain was again the order of the day.
Nevertheless, it was a much better day than yesterday.
This spot is known as “Sycamore Gap” and appeared in the Kevin Costner movie, “Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves”.
I ended my day at a preplanned stopping point near Hadrian’s Wall. We arranged for a taxi to pick me up and transport me 7 miles off the route to Langley Castle where we will be lodged for the next two nights. On Monday morning a taxi will return me to that point so that I can continue the full route of Hadrian’s Wall.
Langley Castle is an honest to goodness 14th century fortress and we are booked into its premiere suite.
The small window in the center of the castle is our bedroom.If you look closely at the large window above the entry you will see Christine in the hearth room.
Ours are royal chambers. The bathroom is larger than most hotel rooms and includes a huge tub (it fits two… to which we can attest), and a sauna/steam room.
The door on the right is our private sauna/steam room.
The walls are solid stone, 7 feet thick, and there is a sitting nook with leaded stained glass that looks out upon the courtyard.
Evening drinks at a fire in the hearth room followed by a suitably elegant dinner capped off the day.
We will tour the castle tomorrow and I will take my camera along. I hope to give you a virtual tour.
Peace Everyone. 71 year old Pete
P.S. As I have walked along these remnants of the once mighty Roman Empire it occurred to me that there have been many great empires; Egyptian, Persian, Greek, Mayan, just to name a few. ALL great empires and civilizations have two things in common: Their leaders and citizens believed the reign would be endless… and it wasn’t.
Written March 31, 2023, at the Twice Brewed Inn, England.
Today was not challenging, it was not difficult,… It was HARD. This was one of the hardest hikes (relative to my age) I have undertaken in my 71 years. But more of that in a bit.
We continued to be enthralled with the owners and accommodations at Dacre House. Breakfast was lovely, made all the more pleasant in conversation with Tadeusz and Malgorzata, a delightful couple from Poland who are also sampling the wonders of Hadrian’s Wall.
We met them at dinner last night. Among the topics we discussed was the war in Ukraine. They explained that at the outbreak of the hostilities over 2 million refugees crossed into Poland and were given shelter and more. There was no government edict, no international organization, just 2 million people at the border and hundreds of thousands of Polish families lined up to voluntarily take them in. When international news crews arrived to obtain video footage and interviews of the “refugee camps“ they were amazed and disappointed to find there were none. Just families helping families.
At 9:30 AM I bid farewell to Clare and Stephan.
Christine remained with them till 11am when her text arrived for the next transport.
Initially the weather looked promising and I was able to immediately resume my trek along the wall.
Conditions quickly deteriorated. Temperatures fell, rain began, wind stiffened to over 30mph, and was interspersed with moments of driving sleet. It was a cold and miserable combination.
My rainproof windbreaker and rain pants were up to the task, even if I was less so. Thankfully, I had included gloves in my pack. Unfortunately, the pea soup mist meant that photo opportunities became nonexistent. My camera was relegated to the safety of its case for the last half of the day.
I was on the trail for nearly 6 hours. The guidebook reported a distance of slightly more than 8 miles but that must’ve been “as the crow flies“. My iPhone and steps counter each indicated it was over 10 miles, and 27,500 steps. Even those numbers do not tell the whole story. The topography was a constant up and down on rain slippery rocks and grass. The huge ascents challenged the lungs and the steep descents challenged the knees. There was no respite.
The trail climbed along the edge of cliffs that were hundreds of feet high.
Today I reached the halfway point which was also the highest point on Hadrian’s Wall. This picture is courtesy of Joe.
It is a wonder how the Romans constructed the miles of ditches, berms, and of course the wall with implements amounting to nothing much more than picks, shovels, and human sweat.
Tonight we are lodged at the Twice Brewed Inn.
It is a small working brewery with an excellent pub, dining room, and rooms.
We shared dinner, and gratitude for safely making it through the day’s hike with our Oregon friends, Joe and Julie, who also “weathered the storm”.
Tomorrow is my 71st birthday. I hope that nature will gift me clear skies and pleasant temperatures for my 5th day on the trail.
Once again the day opened with rain but by the time I was mere steps down the road it had stopped.
The skies were mostly overcast throughout this 10 mile, 27,500 step day. The rain held off until shortly after I arrived at our destination, Dacre House in Gilsland. I don’t know how long this good fortune can last.
Today I no longer had to use my imagination to visualize “the wall“. It was everywhere!
But first I detoured to see the ruins at the Lanercost Priory. Founded in the 12th century it flourished until King Henry VIII closed all of the Catholic churches and abbeys throughout England. Most of Lanercost then fell to ruins, however the roof was restored on the main church and it remains in use today as an Anglican parish church.
The path that I walked today followed closely along Hadrian’s Wall. This was aside roads, through fields, and once again I flirted with livestock who flirted back.
These sheep followed hot on my heels across an entire meadow.
The wall was constructed with large fortresses every Roman mile (approximately 1.48 km), with two smaller fortifications located in between each of the larger ones.
At Birdoswald a major garrison was established, one of 16 near identical garrisons located along the length of the wall. This site, covering approximately 5 acres, housed 1000 soldiers, granary and weapons storage, and training facilities. Birdoswald has been partially excavated by archeologists.
This was a challenging day with significant climbs and descents. Tomorrow promises to be even more difficult. Our destination of The Twice Brewed Inn, located in the town of Once Brewed, is at the highest elevation along Hadrian’s Wall.
I find that walking in solitude brings me into conversation with my thoughts. The overwhelming beauty and historical significance of this land leaves me both humble and grateful.
Peace Everyone. Pete
P.S. Our good fortune is not just limited to the weather. We have again found ourselves hosted by wonderful people in an exceptional facility.
Dacre House B&B’s proprietors, Clare and Stephen, have created a charming lodge that borders on elegant.
Their skills also extend into the kitchen.
We enjoyed excellent dinners, mine a lamb stew, and Christine‘s a vegetable tagine.
Sleep will come easily tonight, breakfast will be welcome in the morning, and then I will be back on the trail. In 48 hours I will celebrate my 71st birthday. Another reason to be grateful.
In the meantime, here are some of the sign boards from today for those who are curious.
Before I begin, I hope you will honor the memory of two dear friends who each drew life’s last breath yesterday. They are mentioned in my postscript.
Today began (literally) as a walk in the park. By day’s end I had counted nearly 12 miles and 32,000 steps.
Last night’s weather report predicted a 90% chance of showers throughout the day. At breakfast there was a steady drizzle but by the time that I set foot on the path the rain had stopped. It did not resume until I had reached my destination.
Not more than minutes from the start a gentleman strode to my side and began providing me with information on the history of the surrounding area. Stephen is a retiree who walks a lengthy circle route three days a week. He enjoys company and sharing pride in his city. He encouraged me to join him on a brief detour where we approached the bank of the river Eden and a Stonehenge-like structure.
Each of these monoliths is of a different stone found in the area. Each displays a carved explanation of their respective origins. Stephen bemoaned that the display is not better known or appreciated. I certainly appreciated Stephen.
The recent rains and the overcast skies brought the green of the fields into eye popping vibrance.
These saplings will one day be an impenetrable hedge dividing the fields.
The paths, roads, and fields better favored walking than on my first walking day, but there were exceptions.
Today I encountered four other people walking “the wall”.
Joe and Julie are a couple from Bend Oregon. We spent a mile visiting and soon learned that we shared the same end-of-day destination, the Old Vicarage Brewery bed and breakfast. More on that in a bit.
The other two were young men who were laden like pack mules as they struggled up the path.
There were the occasional encounters with dog walkers. This hound pranced and danced circles around me dearly yearning for me to find a ball for him to chase.
Other livestock and wildlife included sheep, goats, swans, and horses.
As I stopped to snap the picture of these horses in a field one turned head-on to me and began a slow approach. I stood stock still, my anxiety rising. Was he “friend or foe”? He continued toward me until softly giving me a head butt, soliciting pats and scratches on his forehead and behind his ears. Priceless.
The vistas and views included everything from grand estates to “glamping pods”.
There were churches, and of course I stopped.
Christine had transported to our final destination, the Old Vicarage Brewery, by taxi. She was able to track me through our iPhone “find me“ applications. Just as I turned the lane for the final 100 feet she was standing there before me, arms open wide.
The brewery is a bed-and-breakfast with two amazing suites in the old caretakers cottage.
Christine looking out the window of our suite
Owners, Graham and Charlotte renovated the buildings in 2018. Graham is an accomplished brewer, to which I can now personally attest.
Shortly after I arrived, Joe and Julie joined us for drinks and later for dinner, courtesy of the Brewery.
The Old Vicarage Brewery’s two rooms are booked solid throughout the hiking season. We are incredibly fortunate to have successfully made this reservation.
Today included the first visible evidence of Hadrian’s Wall and the related defensive fortifications. Here the central flat area is what would have been the base of the wall. To the left is the Vallum (ditch) situated on the north side of the wall. The depression on the right further enhanced the apparent height of the wall. The grassy area on the right was an where the Romans quarried stone for the wall’s construction.
Tomorrow I press on 8 miles to Gilsland. It is probable that there will be a detour that will add a mile or two to that distance.
Peace Everyone. Pete
P.S. yesterday I lost two dear friends. Jason Christensen and I met in 2010. We were among 12 bicyclists who rode 5100 miles across the United States as part of an initiative on behalf of Catholic Charities to draw attention to the crisis of poverty in the United States.
We were accompanied by four support drivers, Christine among them. Jason was a deeply spiritual man, a powerful bicyclist, and a devoted father. He and I enjoyed friendly competition throughout the ride and an enduring friendship for the rest of his life. Pancreatic cancer ended his life at 53.
My dear cousin, Samuel “Nelson“ Elliott, passed suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 67. He was a pillar in his West Virginia community, a revered high school teacher and coach. His passion was such that he chose to forego retirement and continued in his profession, literally to the day that he died.
Nelson was prominent in his church community, freely giving of his time to those in need. He was a model husband and father. I can not imagine the depth of pain that his family, siblings, and 95 year old mother are now experiencing.
I hope that both of these very good men have found eternal peace and look down with love upon us.
Today was a day of good fortune. It was the first dry and sunny day we have had since arriving in England.
My transport to the coastal village of Bowen on Solway, at the west end of the Hadrian’s Wall site, was ably executed by driver Eddie on behalf of Carlisle Taxi and Hire.
The shelter marks the starting point of the west to east trek along Hadrian’s Wall.
And… The tide was out!
I learned from Eddie that at high tide the roadways I would be walking on are often covered with 2 or more feet of water. Hikers are then forced to pause the journey for the 1-2 hours it takes for the tide waters to recede.
Had I stayed strictly on the route the distance today would have been 15 miles. I did a bit of wandering which added at least another mile. In any case, I totaled nearly 45,000 steps and my feet feel every one of them.
I have walked farther in a day, but there have usually been some break-in days. Today was a “cold start“, both literally and figuratively. It was the longest one day distance on this trek across England, and the temperature at start hovered at freezing.
Hadrian’s Wall can be hiked year-round, however this is discouraged because of the mud and rain sodden condition of the trail in late winter. The “unofficial“ start is recognized as being after the spring change of the clocks. By that measure I was hiking on “opening day“.
Most of the day I had the trail to myself. Until I neared the city of Carlyle I had seen fewer than six walkers, only three of which were actually “hiking the wall“.
This included a delightful couple of my generation who were enjoying a shorter segment today before returning home tomorrow.
About two-thirds of today’s walk was on paved roads and seldom used farm lanes. Neither of those were optimal. The pavement was hard and jarring. The farm lanes were a mess of muck and puddles.
The other third of the journey was across pastureland. These occasionally became grassy swamps that sucked at the soles of my boots.
The public paths cross private land. These wooden turnstiles allow hikers to cross from one field to the next without risking the escape of livestock
Nevertheless, it was a surreal experience. Me, solo, striding west to east across England, along the site of fortifications populated by thousands of Roman soldiers nearly 2000 years ago. Wow!
But where was the wall? The answer: preserved in the local houses, churches, and roads.
Saint Michael’s Church dates to the 12th century. It was built upon one of the Roman fortresses. This fortress was garrisoned by African troops, believed to be the first Africans in Britain.
For nearly 2,000 years Hadrian’s Wall was a convenient “stone quarry” that was 16 feet high, 8 feet wide and miles long. Understandably, the locals couldn’t resist using the readily available construction materials.
I was on the trail at 8:30 AM and made it back to Christine in Carlisle at 3:30 PM. There were some brief stops for water and to enjoy the leftover pizza that I packed in a Ziplock bag from the night before.
Here are more images from the day, some of which include captions. I am also presenting photographs of some of the sign boards on the hike for those yearning for greater detail.
We are staying in Carlisle tomorrow. The second day on the trail will be this coming Wednesday. Unfortunately, the weather is predicted to resume the overcast and showers that marked our first days in England.
Peace Everyone. Pete
An inviting pub along the route. It was not open as I passed by.This statue of King Edward I is erected near where he died in 1307 during his campaign against Scotland’s Robert the Bruce.Carlisle and its Roman predecessor were built along the shores of the river Eden. This river was incorporated by the Romans into their planing for Hadrian’s Wall as a natural defense barrier.An abandoned railway bridge crossing the river Eden.
