Written April 8, 2023, at Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

“It Is Finished”. These are words of gravitas spoken 2000 years ago. It seems appropriate to recall them on Easter weekend. They are also an expression that captured my heart upon reaching Wallsend.

My planning for the hike along Hadrian’s Wall began last summer. Unlike the Camino, lodgings along the route are few and often far between. Reservations were a necessity. Unlike the Camino, there is not an elaborate infrastructure for the “pilgrim” nor is there an overt spiritual component. I enjoyed meeting wonderful people but few were embracing the same experience. I usually walked in solitude. The weather was a daily roll of the dice.

Walking Hadrian’s Wall was a satisfying accomplishment. It was physical, putting me in touch with my aging body . It was historical, putting me in touch with a once great empire. It also reinforced my affection for the United Kingdom and its people.

Today I was rewarded with more of those connections.

John and Michelle from Glasgow have been walking “The Wall“ in sections, a few days each time. This was their final day.

We shared the path for a few miles and found that we had much in common. I expressed my regret that Christine was not present to make it a foursome. A few minutes later and there she was!

Christine had transported ahead to our hotel, but as the room was not ready she decided to walk back to meet me. It was perfect!

John and Michelle continued on as I stopped for lunch with Christine. After lunch I walked the additional 4 miles to Wallsend. An Uber returned me to the hotel.

Hotel management upgraded our room at no additional charge.

In our hotel room was a small gift and a personal card of congratulations.

There was another card that set out an Easter Egg “treasure hunt“. The answer to each riddle led to a plastic Easter Egg, each containing a small gift.

We were so touched by these gestures that we sought out the thoughtful architect. Her name is Charlotte.

She does not do this for every room or customer, just those who she senses would be appreciative; families with small children, foreign guests, and those who otherwise qualify as non-typical travelers.

Christine and I enjoyed evening drinks in the spacious hotel lounge. This evening it was haven for a younger “trendy” crowd. Techno music with a heavy beat played courtesy of an attractive young lady who expertly manipulated the soundboard. I watched customers and staff stride back and forth across the room. Unconsciously, they kept step with the beat. It was fun to watch. As we left I decided to bring this to the attention of the DJ. “Do you know how much power you hold over these people?” She laughed as I explained, but there was something in her eye that hinted she would soon begin experimenting. This was Annabelle. She is a lawyer and she finds joy in her evening alter ego.

We will be in Newcastle, a city of 320,000, for the next three days. Along with resting my legs, I intend to rest my “pen“. We will then spend three days in Liverpool before taking charge of our narrowboat in Middlewich.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Stay tuned.

Peace Everyone. Pete

Written April 7, 2023, at the Keelman’s Lodge, Newcastle upon Tyne.

This was a Good Friday morning, both literally and figuratively. Partly sunny. Cold, but not too cold.

The path was straight, but still required attention. Damp, but not too damp. The walk followed the Old Military Road which was busy, but not too busy.

My knee had some residual tenderness, but it was tolerable. My destination lay eight miles distant, far but not too far. Everything seemed defined by moderation. No stress…

…until an hour down the path I received a text message from Christine, NO TAXI! I paused on the trail and began remote problem-solving with her. A flurry of texts and a few calls to the taxi company revealed that they had dispatched to the wrong location and since she was “not there” they determined it was a “no-show“. They dispatched a second time, again to the wrong location! Finally, on the third attempt they got it right. I continued on the walk… stressed, but not too stressed.

I now appreciate why Hadrian’s Wall tour companies focus their itineraries on the center of The Walk. That’s where the “meat” is. As I have found, the beginning and end days offer less in the way of a unique experience other than putting one foot in front of the other thousands of times.

Christine is listening as I pen this and has cautioned me not to be negative. Negative is is not my intention, I’m just becoming more reflective of my experience in light of the imminent conclusion.

There were a only a few signs of “The Wall“ today.

More prominent were the signs of encroaching urban civilization.

For the first time there were the sights and sounds of air traffic as planes passed overhead and entered landing patterns into Newcastle.

The trail approached and then crossed over a busy expressway.

I entered the city limits, sadly leaving pasture trails behind in favor of suburban tarmac.

Tomorrow could be the last day if I choose to walk all 12 miles to Wallsend. Instead, I may stop at our hotel which is located near the trail on the banks of the River Tyne. Christine has indicated a willingness to walk the final 4 miles with me during our stay in Newcastle. That would be a nice finale to this extraordinary experience.

Peace Everyone. Pete

P.S. We are staying the night at the Keelman’s Lodge.

It is a charming bed and breakfast that shares a park-like setting with the Big Lamp Brewery.

Over the last 2 weeks this is the 10th mattress that I have slept on. Some are firm, and some are soft. Some, as Goldilocks once said, are “just right”.

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.

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.

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 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.

Peace Everyone. Pete

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!

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.