A week of walking - well almost!

I haven't posted for a while because I knew that this walking week was coming up, as it has been in my diary since the beginning of the year.

The 50+Adventure Club were going to walk Hadrian's Wall - at least for three days!!  However before I met up with my companions I had invited myself to stay with friends who live near Alnwick and who I haven't seen for years.  They have dogs, who are walked morning and evening, and I requested the beach walks that I remembered.  So Sunday evening we went to Sugar Sands 

 

A rainbow

There was a sudden downpour and for the first time in my life I saw a whole rainbow in front of me but couldn't get it into the photo.  Early Monday morning we walked in the sun on Boulmer Sands 

 

Then I packed my bags and headed to Hexham to meet my 50+ Adventure Club friends after a good catch-up with old friends.  But on the way I decided to visit Vindolanda (a Roman fort near the Wall) that is somewhere I have always wanted to go.

After paying, the tourist passes through this quiet court, so like a Roman house, before coming out into the fort itself.  Immediately I spotted volunteers at work 'finds washing' so I went to meet them.  They used similar equipment to us at Chester Farm but I queried why this bone was black, not bone coloured

The finds are all found in anaerobic conditions (no oxygen and wet) so this preserves them better.  I was shown one item that was grey which is the colour after drying

A cattle head

 

Note the bluish tinge due to chemical reactions

After this I wandered round the fort noting the layout and the different rooms.

Following a visit to their museum I went to the Roman Army Museum, well worth a visit: then onto Hexham and my hotel for the rest of the week.

Day 1 of our walking dawned bright but very windy and after catching the AD122 bus (yes that is it's name!) that took us to our first drop off we were planning to walk 6-7 miles of the Wall.

 

We passed many small fortlets built every mile and at times the wall disappeared completely, mainly because the stones were robbed to build field walls and farms!!  Incredible views.  We did pause to watch a shepherd on a quad bike with two dogs, rounding up a flock of sheep, and moving them to a new field  and done so fast that I didn't have time to take a decent photo!!  Well 7 miles passed and we were not at the end and I was beginning to tire when suddenly we had to scramble down and up two very steep gullies.  This was a nightmare to me as I suffer from vertigo when going down steep hills but my companions were brilliant and helped me down - going up is no problem and then after 8.25 miles we reached Housesteads but were not allowed to stop for refreshments as we had the 4.36 bus to catch back to Hexham.

Next day the walk was only to be about 4 miles, so once again onto the AD122.  This service runs between March and September on a circular route from Hexham taking in all the major points on the Northumberland part of the Wall, but can be hailed at any time.  Overnight we learned that Prince Charles was in the area for the official opening of The Sill that was on our bus route and so we swept into the car park full of police and men (and women) in 'suits' while he was inside.  Our destination was the Roman Army Museum (where I visited earlier) but no stopping as we set off  We had only passed the car park when we saw this

A goose with a bow tie round it's neck!

Were we seeing things - no! 

Apparently this goose travels in the front seat (no seat belt) with it's friend the sheepdog and the rabbit on the back seat!!  We were told that they have their own website but I cannot find it.  Anyway we started walking and once again the views were stunning and we could see why the Romans decided to build a wall here commencing AD122 (now that is why the bus is so called!).  High crags to stop invaders

but once again a lot of scrambling though I chickened out this time and went round the bottom.  The walk this time was only 4.75 miles but took us nearly 4 hours with stops to see the views, but our destination was the Milecastle Inn where we stopped for a drink before catching the bus.

I woke up on Thursday morning deciding not to walk but to do my own thing.  I went to Hexham Abbey

and had a look around, noting the Frith seat for the Bishops of Hexham

and the staircase where the monks would have descended from their quarters - very worn

 I then caught the bus to the Sill and had a good look round, but not venturing out as it was pouring with rain.  However Housesteads Roman Fort beckoned so after another short bus trip (isn't this service wonderful especially as I was able to use my senior's free bus pass) I got there as the rain was sheeting down!  I walked up to the fort but only stopped briefly to view the Roman latrine in a very well preserved condition, before my walking companions suddenly came into view and we all caught the bus back to Hexham.

 

Raining still

Getting back to Hexham some of us went to the little cinema to see The Children Act and we all met up for our final meal together before going our separate ways home on Friday morning.

A great week away ticking many of the items on my personal 'bucket list'.