A stroll along the wall

My focus, so often, is north. When I do go south, I have sprinted by a fairly well-known historic site. Recently I decided to take a drive through the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, with my eyes on Hadrian's Wall and the remains of the historic fort at Housesteads (originally named Vercovicium).

My accomplishment of the day....walking along 1.25% of Hadrian's Wall.


Thinking about 1.25%, it gave me some perspective on just how extensive this wall had been. Much of the stone has been re-used over the years but in places like Housesteads, you can still see the base of the wall and the foundations of forts. To think all of this infrastructure was predominantly built within about 6 years...and these are not basic forts...the commander's house had a hypocaust underfloor heating system. Hospital. Granaries. Large barracks. Soldiers lived in this fort for a few hundred years.

Whether or not those living in this fort were under threat by barbarians to the north, the rolling hills seem so serene. I wonder what it was like to live here. The wall must have dominated the horizon. Now it is merely a ribbon that runs along the land.

During my visit, there were a number of walkers about, walking alongside the wall or heading out cross country and invoking a few moos from the cows lazing in the fields.

As I headed back north, a nod to England as I crossed the border...

I wound my way through some lovely countryside and introduced my car to some single lane tracks.

Looking forward to many more of these tracks in the future.