Civilization: Roof lines, lines of roofs and power lines
Category Archives: Hadrian’s Wall Walk
Cross countryside
Last summer my husband and I walked across northern England on the Hadrian’s wall trail. The Lens Artists prompt: countryside, prompted me to go through my extensive collection of photos from that trip. There is one photo above from each day that is representative of the type of countryside we saw that day.
Where fairies live
Perhaps because we mostly have alder and evergreens locally I was quite fascinated by some of the trees, mostly I think they were sycamore, or plane trees, that we saw while walking Hadrian’s Wall National Trail in England last summer.
I think I love them because they remind me of fairy stories.
Walking the wall
Here are a few from one year ago today, when we were walking between Carlisle and Crosby-on-Eden.
Just follow the signs…
Sometimes easier said than done!
Continue reading Just follow the signs…
Landscapes along Hadrian’s Wall Walk
Sometimes the land shapes what humans do and sometimes human endeavors shape the land, sometimes a bit of both.
From Sea to Shining Sea
Our walk along Hadrian’s Wall Path last summer took us from Solway Firth on the west coast of England to (after a short metro ride from Wallsend) to the North Sea at Whitley Bay.
Solway horizon to the northwest in the evening.
Solway horizon to the northeast in the morning
North sea horizon at Whitley Bay facing to the northeast.
Horizon at Whitley Bay facing southeast.
At the start of the 12 day walk we were up late (sunset was around 10 pm) and early, due to a combination of jet lag and adrenaline. The day after the walk we just went out after breakfast.
Back to the Wall
I never finished the series of posts I intended to write about walking Hadrian’s Wall last June.
Here is a gallery of pictures from the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail between Housesteads Fort and Chester’s Fort.
In this stretch, while not including the highest point on the walk, it passes something equivalent to the Continental divide in North America, the texture of the clouds changed, and it got way less windy.
Son of a Beach’s Which Way Photo Challenge
The Sycamore of Sycamore Gap
The sycamore of sycamore Gap along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumbria is the most photographed tree in all of England. No surprise since it is perfectly framed by the dip in the terrain, which allowed it to grow by protecting it from the sometimes brutal winds of the area. The day we were there was a little blustery, giving us just a little taste of reality.
Here are my takes on this famous tree.
Hadrian’s Wall Walk: Steel Rigg to Housesteads Fort
We took an extra day on our walk in the middle of our trip, an area which is remote and therefore more intact sections of the wall and forts. If you ever do the walk think about it. It give you lots of time to enjoy the area, and to take a break during the storms.
In this area the wall is built along the edge of cliffs. It is fairly vigorous walking, and some of the steep, rocky areas are a bit treacherous when wet.
This section contains a lot of lovely scenery, even on a cloudy day, including the most photographed tree in England: the sycamore of sycamore gap. It is a striking site: a large healthy sycamore tucked into a gap in the cliffs.
The walking part, for us, was from the Steel Rigg visitor center to Housesteads Fort.
Housesteads Fort
Housesteads Fort
Turret on Steel Rigg.
Housesteads Fort
We took the bus from Housesteads past Steel Rigg to Vindolanda. Vindolanda is not to be missed. If I had it to do over I would have opted for 3 nights at Henshaw Barn so we had a full day there.
Vindolanda is a very large fort and the civilian settlement that built up around it, still under excavation, along with a well done museum of the finds. Including personal letters, miraculously preserved and located that give insight into daily life.
