With a break in the rainy weather, we decided to go for a hike along a portion of Hadrian’s Wall and enjoy the panoramic scenery in Northumberland.
Interesting facts about Hadrian’s Wall:
Hadrian’s Wall was built by order of the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, following his visit to Britain in the year 122 AD. Planned as a continuous wall, it was constructed with a milecastle (a small rectangular fort) every Roman mile (which is slightly shorter than a traditional mile) with two turrets equally spaced between each milecastle. The wall was part of a system of defenses that included ditches, earthworks, roads and reinforced gates, as well as the forts and turrets that were build into the wall itself. It was built from stone and turf, and measured up to three yards deep and, in places, six yards high. When completed, the wall stretched 80 Roman miles (73 traditional miles) from coast to coast and formed the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire for almost 300 years!
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The Romans used the local landscape to their advantage, often stretching the wall across cliff tops
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Threatening clouds drift past as we start our hike along Hardrian’s Wall
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The foundations of a milecastle
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Contemplating the fenced area where a famous tree once stood
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The sycamore was chopped down by a vandal, but is sprouting back from its sturdy roots
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…. And it’s incredibly windy at the cliff’s edge
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Hold onto your hat and take in the view
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Over looking the lake named Crag Lough
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Heading down to another fort
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The foundations of separate rooms are visible within this milecastle
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Remnants of an arched gate still remain
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Roman engineering was quite exacting, even down to the stones used
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Must have those stones perfectly aligned!
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Ruins at the Vercovicium, one of the best preserved forts along Hadrian’s Wall, dominate this open slope
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More ruins in the Vercovicium
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The outer walls of the Vercovicium
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Just barely able to peek over the wall, which once stood about 15 feet tall
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Looking across at the varied terrain upon which the wall was built
Quite beautiful.
……and quite a bit of sunshine!
Nice. ❤️❤️👏
🏛️🚶🏻➡️🚶🏽♀️➡️😁
Fascinating. You must go back & finish your tour.
Hadrian’s Wall! I’ve always found fascinating.
Thanks for sharing some of the historical details.
So much of the landscape reminds me of Tomales Bay. Well, minus the Bay and the Eucalyptus and Cattle. But, yeah, still . . .