Walking the Wall: Day 5 Steel Rigg to Housesteads

 

Even though we made no forward progress, the fifth day of our hike along Hadrian's Wall ended up being the high point of the whole trip, both literally and physically. 

The morning began with breakfast at The Bowes Hotel in Bardon Mill, where a full English breakfast was included in the price of the room. If you've never had an English breakfast, it is quite a lot of food. We could have eggs, bacon, sausages, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, and toast. The English have gotten smart, and realize that not all Americans appreciate black pudding and beans on their breakfast plates, so we each got a list of ingredients which we got to check off. We also had fruit and breads and the staff was happy to make a bowl of oatmeal for us if we wanted. 

Our original plan was to walk the 1.8 miles north to Vindolanda, then pick up the AD122 bus, which would take us to Housesteads. The staff at the Bowes offered us a better option: a ride to wherever we wanted to go. We chose to be driven back west to Steel Rigg. This allowed us to walk some of the most dramatic and beautiful sections of the trail, the upland section along Whin Sill. Here, the wall follows the curving contours of the land, climbing up steep hills and sometimes clinging to the edge of cliffs. We were lucky that the rains of the day before had cleared and we had bright skies with billowy clouds, and enough of a breeze to keep us cool, but not enough to knock us off our feet! We were definitely "chuffing" quite a bit up these steep slopes, but it was worth it. The views were spectacular. I can only imagine how impressive the wall would have been when it stood 15 feet tall, with a walkway on the top, and was painted white. The wall was definitely a very visual statement of Roman power and engineering.

The most crowded part of the whole hike was Sycamore Gap,a dramatic dip in the ridgeline that held one of the most photographed trees in the country until a couple of mindless vandals cut it down a year ago.  Perhaps 20 people were clustered about the stump, and their outrage and sorrow was palpable. The tree became famous when it appeared in Kevin Costner's 1991 film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

A few more scenic climbs, and we arrives at  Housesteads, a Roman fort that is now an English Heritage Site and another of the places where we could get our passports stamped. There is an excellent museum run by The National Trust and English Heritage. 

Housesteads is the best preserved of the thirteen permanent Roman army posts along the length of Hadrian's Wall. It has been called by many names over the years, including Vercovicium, Borcovicus, Borcovicium, and Velurtion. It is now called after the nearby 18th-century farmhouse of Housesteads. 

The fort was built in stone by Roman legionaries in the decade after AD 122, soon after the construction of the wall began. Until the end of the 4th century, it housed an 800-strong infantry regiment of auxiliary troops. From the late 2nd century onward, the garrison was manned by the 1st cohort of Tungria, originally recruited from Germanic tribes in the region around Tongres, in modern Belgium. 

Before the trip began I was able to connect with Allen Woods, one of the interpreters who guides people through Housesteads. What a lucky find he was! Allen told us so much, in a way that we could understand, and with a great sense of humor. He helped us interpret not only the archaeological site, but the land on which it was built.  

 Allen was also kind enough to give us a ride back to Bardon Mill at the end of the day. 

Housesteads is about halfway along Hadrian's Wall. It is also one of the highest points in the wall and definitely set along the most dramatic stretch, with views that reach far into Scotland and far south. Having good weather for this beautiful walk helped, but having someone knowledgeable to share his understanding with us really opened our eyes and made the tour more memorable.  We walked a beautiful and rugged stretch of trail on this, our fifth day, and even if we ended up right where we began, it was the highpoint of the whole trip.