Day 77 Hadrian’s Wall

Today was a short day, I was walking 5 miles to a campsite near Hadrian’s Wall so that I could explore a bit.

Haltwhistle was a nice place, with quite a few shops, several cafes, surprisingly little traffic and some strange signs. It feels like a foreign language.

I walked out of town down Castle Hill, passing Motte House and Bailey House on my way. The road then wound up towards Hadrian’s Wall

I walked alongside the wall for a couple of miles. I hadn’t really thought about the gradients. I just assumed it would be flat, when actually parts were reminiscent of Cornwall, particularly the steps.

The day however was sunny but cool, perfect weather for walking, and before long there was a signpost to my campsite. Winshields campsite is lovely. Quiet, grassy, yes the showers are a bit temperamental and there are no hooks on the back of the shower door, but overall just delightful.

Tent pitched, I headed for the Hadrian’s Wall information centre, The Sill. I looked around the exhibition, ate my sandwiches and set off towards Vindolanda. Vindolanda was a Roman garrison, originally built before the Wall, with a vicus, a town settlement just outside. It was impressive but to tell the truth, it was a long walk to get there. And my feet hurt, particularly my new blister. And after all, Roman forts are all built to the same pattern so once you’ve seen one…

I have to admit, I didn’t give Vindolanda my full attention and after a rather cursory look round, walked back to the pub where I sat with a Coke, charging my phone and writing up the blog. The pub was along a busy road so I decided not to go there for dinner but to eat at my tent.