Category: Thoughts

Hiking Along Hadrian’s Wall, Day One

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Written March 27, 2023, at Carlisle, England.

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.

Pictures from Carlisle England.

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Written March 26, 2023 at Carlisle, England.

A good day. No rain, just cold.

Breakfast was “Full English“.

Confirmed 8AM transportation arrangements for the morning to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria. It is on the west coast of England, 15 miles from Carlisle. This will begin my eastward hike along Hadrian’s Wall.

I revisited Carlisle Cathedral, this time with Christine.

These painted panels which appear on the back of the choir chairs, depict saints and the Apostles. They date to the 14th century. At the time of the Protestant Reformation they were defaced and hidden by lime wash in an effort to hide and destroy them. Fortunately, the lime wash acted as a preservative and aided in the eventual restoration of the panels!
The small reproduction which aids in interpreting the original dates to the 1800’s.

We visited Carlisle Castle.

No good castle is complete without a bad dungeon.
Christine, Queen of the Universe.

The 12th Century fortress was used as recently as 1918 as a training camp for British troops in World War I. It still houses a British military museum.

Garry and Kathleen Clifford drove down from Glasgow and spent a wonderful afternoon and evening with us.

What a joy to reconnecting!

A Very Good Day. Peace Everyone. Pete

On to Carlisle England!

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Written March 25, 2023 at Carlisle, England.

With two pleasant days in Manchester under our belts we awoke this morning fresh and ready to go. No backpacks on this trip, our two bags are packed heavier than typical for us, and each is larger than our usual “carryons”. The challenge was to accommodate a wide range of weather conditions and activities. Ahead of us is a truly multidimensional experience.

We taxied to the Oxford Road Train Station to catch the 11:35 Transpennine Express to Carlisle in the northwest of England.

Manchester‘s Oxford Road train station. This has been a train station since the 1840’s.

Susan was working at her ticket window but upon seeing us rushed out to gift us with hugs and warm wishes for safe travel.

Susan and Christine at the Oxford Road Train Station

We have grown accustomed to the fast friendships of travel, however Susan’s warmth and graciousness are in a league all their own. We will miss her!

The journey to Carlisle took two hours and included only five stops.

The Transpennine Express to Carlisle.

The ride was smooth enough to allow pictures of the countryside. Unfortunately, the intermittent heavy showers limited the photo opportunities, drops on the windows marring what could have been some stunning images.

Dense briar fencing.
Look close and you will see an old country bridge. There were also miles upon miles of dry stacked stone walls dividing fields.
Beautiful, even through the train window and rain.

Speaking of stunning, Carlisle is wonderful! From the delightfully classic rail station…

Arrival at the Carlisle train station.
The outside main entrance of the Carlisle train station.

…to the old central city which is accessed by walking through ancient fortification towers.

Carlisle’s city gates.
The pedestrian area in front of our hotel.
A side street near our hotel.

Our hotel, The Crown and Mitre, absolutely oozes 19th century Edwardian charm.

The Crown and Mitre Hotel has hosted many dignitaries over the years. In 1918 United States President Woodrow Wilson was one of them.

It features an elegant dining room, bar, and even an indoor swimming pool! Stained glass and polished wood abound. Perhaps most remarkable is the price, $135 a night.

Hotel reception area and main staircase.
One of the interior staircases in the hotel. There are many of them. At times we feel like we are rats in a maze.
Christine in the hotel lounge.
Our hotel room.

Not more than 100 yards around the corner from the hotel is the historic Carlisle Cathedral.

Carlisle Cathedral.
A side view of the cathedral.
12th-century ruins from the Carlisle Cathedral Abbey.

The use of the grounds as an abbey and Cathedral date back to the early 12th-century. In holding to my promise to Christine, I will let the images and brief captions speak for me.

A side aisle (ambulatory) in the cathedral.
A beautiful side altar and stained glass windows in the cathedral.
This is the “celestial ceiling“ of Carlisle Cathedral.
The main aisle (nave) of the cathedral.
The cathedrals magnificent pipe organ. The organist was playing as this picture was taken. He is in the small lighted area immediately beneath the pipes.
A view of the cathedral choir chairs.

Our plans for Carlisle seem to be evolving on their own. I received a communication from Garry and Kathleen Clifford of Glasgow Scotland. We met them while traveling through their city in 2018 and have stayed in touch ever since. They are driving the one hour down to join us tomorrow afternoon for dining, drinks, and to just catch up.

This picture is from May 2018 when we first met Garry and Kathleen along with son Sean, daughter-in-law Julie, and friends Mr. and Mrs. John Curran in Glasgow Scotland. Garry stands to the left of me and Kathleen is seated to the left of Christine.

On Monday I plan to hire a cab to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria on the west coast. This is the western extreme of Hadrian’s Wall. I will hike the 15 miles back to join Christine in Carlisle. In total we will be at the Crown and Mitre for four nights before continuing on our eastward trek.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Two weeks ago we adjusted our clocks in the United States for daylight savings time. I assumed that everyone did it then. Wrong! We get to “spring forward” again tonight in the UK. Here I thought I was done messing with time zones and “jetlag”.

Pictures from Manchester England

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Written March 24, 2023, at Manchester, England.

My reward for having flown across five time zones was a night of fitful sleep. Solid slumber finally came at 5 AM and my eyes did not again open until just shy of noon. Hopefully, jetlag is mostly behind us.

We could see from our hotel room window that skies were clear. Fingers crossed that the weather would remain favorable, we quickly showered, dressed, and were on the street looking for a coffee and brunch.

Here are images from our wanderings, some self-explanatory, and others with captions.

The National Football (Soccer) Museum. If we had one more day we might have visited.
Memorial to the 22 who died on May 22, 2017 in a terrorist bombing. Many were children.
This Narrowboat “port” is in the heart of Manchester. Dockage is free for up to 72 hours.
These Castlefield bridge spans are among the world’s oldest constructed of structural cast and wrought iron.
Exterior of ancient Roman fortifications. Notice the partially excavated moats.

We were particularly taken with the John Rylands library…

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library.

…and Manchester’s Science and Industry museum. Unfortunately, much of the museum’s extensive collection is located in a variety of neighboring buildings which are currently closed for renovation.

A working replica of (1948) “The Baby”, the worlds first program-stored computer. The very first iPads we’re 10,000 times faster than this behemoth.
Restored 18th and 19th century cotton production machinery, all in working order. In the 18th and 19th centuries Manchester was one of the largest textile manufacturing centers in the world.

We enjoyed a late lunch in a fascinating restaurant. Nondescript from the outside, “The Blues Kitchen” provided me with a wealth of lowlight photographic opportunities.

The restaurant is full of antique fixtures, stained glass, and even a small Airstream travel trailer in which a party of as many as 12 may enjoy semi-private dining. The food was also excellent and reasonably priced!

On our way back to the hotel we encountered a significant police presence in the area of the Criminal Courts building. An officer explained to us that a high profile murder trial was underway, just now entering recess for the weekend. As we spoke, the street was cordoned off to allow a caravan of security vehicles, lights flashing and sirens blaring, to rocket past us at the intersection. Presumably, the defendant was secured in the van that was surrounded by police cars.

Tomorrow morning we catch the train for a 2 hour transport to Carlisle, located near the western end of Hadrian’s Wall. We have booked 4 nights in what appears to be a quaint “old-world” hotel. One, and possibly two days will be spent taxiing west to walk the 15 miles from the coast back to Carlisle.

Many of you who follow know that I often “dig deep“ in writing my narratives. In deference to time with my wife Christine, I am hoping to spend fewer hours at the computer while still presenting a good variety of pictures. It is easier to apologize to you than it is to her! Wikipedia may satisfy those who are curious for more details.

Peace Everyone! Pete

Manchester England!

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Written March 23, 2023, at Manchester, England.

No lengthy overseas flight is “fun“. About the best one can hope to say is that the flight was uneventful. On that count, ours qualified as “pleasantly uneventful”. Actually, that is a bit unfair. While our ticketing was through Delta Airlines, the actual carrier from Atlanta to Manchester was Virgin Atlantic. Given the option we would definitely choose Virgin Atlantic in the future. The meals were excellent (for airplane food), the staff was very friendly, and the plane was well-maintained.

At 8:30 yesterday morning our neighbor, Mary Murphy, graciously drove us to the new Kansas City International Airport. This was our first experience in the new facility. It was bright, pleasant, and most of all, efficient. Passing through security was a breeze and we found a plethora of dining establishments, most of them local purveyors.

We walked the length and breadth of the entire facility. It is a real step up for Kansas City. Kansas City was once the corporate home of TWA, one of the world’s largest air carriers. In those days KCI was a major international point of departure. Sadly, with the demise of TWA those glory days are over. Perhaps this new facility will see them restored.

With a tailwind of nearly 150 miles an hour our flight to Atlanta took less than an hour and 20 minutes. Ground speed exceeded 650 miles an hour. We were literally flirting with the speed of sound.

Christine and I spent a pleasant few hours in the Atlanta Delta Sky Club lounge as we awaited our evening departure for Manchester England. If you ever get the chance to spend time there, we invite you to look up Francine, a most delightful hostess of “a certain age”. We could’ve easily spent hours exchanging jokes and pleasant barbs with her.

The seven hour flight actually chewed 12 hours off the clock because of the 5 time zones that we crossed. We landed in Manchester England to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, overcast skies, and intermittent showers. We better get used to it because that seems to be the predicted weather for many of the days to come.

A 20 minute train ride into the heart of Manchester saw us off at the Oxford Street Station. This was fortunate as it is from this station that we will depart in two days northwest for Carlisle England. I had previously made reservations for four separate train connections, Manchester to Carlisle, Newcastle to Liverpool, Liverpool to Middlewich, and Middlewich back to Manchester. It was necessary for us to pick up the physical tickets at the Oxford Street Station.

It should have been a relatively easy task but we were travel weary and one station agent proved less than helpful, printing one set of tickets and directing us to figure out how to use a machine to print the remaining ones (no one else was waiting for assistance). An angel of mercy in the form of Susan, a different ticket agent, correctly interpreted our half panicked and fully confused stares as we turned from the counter. She called us over and took the entire task onto her shoulders. Moreover, we spent a delightful 10 minutes visiting as if we were all long lost friends. We have exchanged email addresses and private messages so, barely minutes in the city, we made a new long-term friend in this dear country. Thank you so much Susan, you made our day!

Susan, our “Angel of Mercy”

Our accommodations are in the ultramodern City Suites, located in the heart of the old city.

Our room is more like a studio apartment. It features a wash machine/dryer, dishwasher, and full efficiency kitchen.

There is also a delightful restaurant and indoor pool.

Official check in time was 4 PM but we had arrived at the front desk well before noon. The hotel staff worked to accelerate the readiness of our room for an early check-in. In the meantime we found a cafe around the corner where barista Liz (on the left), later joined by Mila, provided us with hot beverages and a warm/dry place to put up our feet.

After a catch-up nap to stave off the effects of jet lag, we wander the immediate area visiting the 500 year old cathedral (sadly, the stained glass windows fell victim to the Luftwaffe bombings of the Second World War), and an equally ancient pub where we enjoyed “pints”.

In the early evening we found a different pub, The Black Friar, where Christine enjoyed an excellent pork chop dinner and I one of my all-time favorite dishes, a proper English beef and vegetable “pie“.

We have a full day tomorrow to take in more of the central city and then on Saturday we depart by train for Carlisle to begin our trek along Hadrian’s Wall.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. I’ve said it before, but it is worth repeating: Travel exposes one to new sights and experiences. However, it is in the people that we meet that the real and enduring rewards are to be found.