Castle Aching

[Edwardian]

We found yesterday hard, I will not deny. The crags, whilst picturesque, are difficult. The descents take painstaking time especially when slippery with rain. Miss T really showed some grit.

 

Thanks all for the encouragement - always a help and a morale boost -  today the son and heir came through with a supportive WhatsApp exchange, too.

 

So, yesterday evening we were left high and dry by the Haltwhistle taxi that was supposed to pick us up - Sproul's if anyone is interested - and no other taxis were to be had.  Full praise, then, to the owner of the Centre of Britain Hotel in Haltwhistle who drove up to the Wall to rescue his guests. This is a lovely family hotel and had wonderful staff, it has quite the best atmosphere of all the hotels so far, and gave us the best and best value packed lunches of the trip to date. One could stay there 3-4 nights as the base for the whole mid-section of the Wall.

 

They made us very welcome last night, but we were only just ready in time for supper - roast beef for us both followed by cheesecake for her and sorbet for him - and I fizzled out pretty soon after, hence the somewhat rushed report this morning, which was a late start due to fatigue. 

 

We were tempted to quit. Not seriously tempted in the sense that there was any danger of either of us succumbing to it, but the temptation was felt. I idly mused on taking a train back from Haltwhistle, if it still stops there, or Hexham. I did not look up times or anything and I think knowing how easily we could give up and get back meant we wouldn't. 

 

So, we set out with fresh determination this morning, knowing that a good deal of the crags were behind us and we could see off the rest soon enough. 

 

 

At Winshields we reached the official halfway point, only a little way on was a trig point which marks the highest point on the Wall.

 

 

And the Wall levelled out somewhat, for which we were most grateful.

 

 

More crags ahead; Miss T soldiers on. The white blobs are large sacks of stone waiting to be shaped and placed to repair the drystone wall, the lower portions of which show square dressed blocks undoubtedly pilfered from the adjacent Wall.

 

 

Caw Gap:

 

 

Caw Gap Turret 41a:

 

 

 

 

Cawfields, Milecastle 42 (looking back east):

 

 

On climbing up from Cawfields quarry (where we stopped for lunch), looking back east at the ridge line we had followed:

 

 

Great Chesters fort:

 

 

 

This I took to be the fort's east gate (there was no information at the site), but, if so, it looks like a triple, rather than the standard double, gateway (not clear from the picture). Odd.  A couple of the gaps looked as if they had been blocked up later, not an unknown thing on the Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walltown Crags, Turret 45a:

 

 

 

 

 

The end (for today):

 

 

We were in high spirits today and really enjoyed the walk. It was tough in places, but we really felt we were conquering the Wall, not the other way round.  For the first time since Heddon on the Wall we ran to time, hence I have had time before supper at tonight's abode, the Blenkinsopp Castle Inn, to update.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Edwardian
spelling

[Compound2632]

Ridge walks are marvellous things, once you're up on the ridge!

[Nearholmer]

Well done!

 

Was weather as atrocious as the forecast implied - photos never seem to capture the nuances of rain?

[Compound2632]

30 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

photos never seem to capture the nuances of rain?

 

Must say I wouldn't describe the rain we had here this afternoon as "nuanced". But I know what you mean - especially in that part of the world. Looking forward to a fortnight of it myself!

[Edwardian]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

Well done!

 

Was weather as atrocious as the forecast implied - photos never seem to capture the nuances of rain?

 

No. One reason, I am told, that more people walk west to east is because walking west is 'into the weather', however, the rain was far worse yesterday, so we set out today expecting worse than we got. 

[Compound2632]

19 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

No. One reason, I am told, that more people walk west to east is because walking west is 'into the weather', however, the rain was far worse yesterday, so we set out today expecting worse than we got. 

 

If you walk into the weather, you do see it coming - not just the rain but the sunny intervals - and you also pass through it more quickly. If you walk with your back to the weather, that band of rain just travels along with you.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Then there's Wall:

 

 

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wall-roman-site/

Used to love taking the children there when we lived at Polesworth.

[Edwardian]

Official Day 4. Today we headed back to the Wall from the Blenkinsopp Castle Inn. Fairly level going into Gilsland, where we had our first brush with the Newcastle and Carlisle Ry. 

 

 

Pretty sure for the style of architecture and the proximity to the line that these were the former station buildings. Opened in 1838 as Rose Hill and renamed Gilsland in 1869, the station is closed and the locals, I am pleased to say, remain adamant that it should reopen.

 

 

Just west of the station the line crosses the  Poltross Burn:

 

 

Ascending the western bank we find ourselves at Milecastle 48, so, yes, you can have a Roman Milecastle right next to the line on your model railway. Truly, there is a prototype for everything.

 

 

Willowford has an extant section of Wall and Turret 48a:

 

 

And 48b is also extant, where you can see the wall step in from the original broad wall to the narrow one adopted after a change of plan.

 

 

There are quite a lot of long wall sections on this part of the route.

 

 

Willowford has substantial bridge abutments where the Wall crossed the river Irthing. They had three goes. The first, c AD120, was taken out by a flood c.AD160, so they posit a wooden bridge atop the original piers for 20 years until a far more substantial stone replacement.

 

 

We cross the Irthing via a rather funkier bridge, followed by a rather steep ascent to Milecastle 49 atop Harrow's Scar

 

 

 

 

Next, Birdoswald fort, which we've been to before, but too long ago for Miss T to recall. The wooden posts mark a Dark Age long house when the fort was repurposed. 

 

 

 

And on westward:

 

 

Now we come to an oddity, a section of the Wall built in turf, then replaced with a stone wall with a course a little to its north. The turf section, nevertheless, had stone towers, one was left behind, as it were, when the stone replacement wall was built a little to the north of it. Thus there was a turf wall Turret 49b and a stone wall Turret 49b. Our route at this point was on the stone Wall, so this should be the latter:

 

 

Then we go inland, as it were, a bit and walk along the turf wall:

 

 

I think the course of the turf wall and its stone replace converge, because here is Turret 51a, built on the turf wall but showing the replacement stone wall leading off it to the west.

 

 

A new feature for us, a watch tower:

 

 

We walked along a lot of fields today, though not always this easy going:

 

 

Then the stone runs out, making this little section at Hare Hill a rarity. Why? Well, they had to build Lanecost Priory out of something. 

 

 

Nearly there now, another two or three fields until we turn from the Wall. One had a spooky tree!

 

 

We ended our walk today a short way off the Wall at Lanecost Priory, a true gem of a site that I would urge all who haven't to see if they can. While aware of its existence and importance , this was a first visit and we really enjoyed it at the end of a 6-hour trek. 

 

 

I had a taxi number, but no coverage on my 'phone, so the wonderful English Heritage site manager drove us to the B&B, for which we thank her.    

 

We are staying in Brampton tonight, which I have visited before at the end of a walk of parts of the Brampton Railway, which some may recall as one of my favourite private mineral lines in the North. The object of going into Brampton town centre was to see the Pre-Raphaelite church of St Martin, but I digress. 

 

We have the option of dining at a restaurant or pub in town, but, as we are in a B&B, I shall brave the rain and return with a take-away and settle in for an episode of Good Omens (2),  

 

Just two days left, now, and it's all downhill from here (I hope!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jcredfer]

5 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Official Day 4. Today we headed back to the Wall from the Blenkinsopp Castle Inn. Fairly level going into Gilsland, where we had our first brush with the Newcastle and Carlisle Ry.....

 

 

Ascending the western bank we find ourselves at Milecastle 48, so, yes, you can have a Roman Milecastle right next to the line on your model railway. Truly, there is a prototype for everything.

 

 

.....

 

 

.....  and with amazing foresight, they even left a track plan;  descent scale size, too.     🙆‍♂️

 

 

[Edwardian]

Day 7 of 8, so just ....

 

 

It was good to get another glimpse of Brampton again, a very friendly town, by the way.

 

 

Today not much of Rome was there to see.

 

Near the start, at Dovecote bridge, east of Walton, there was this ....

 

 

No information on the English Heritage sign, so I'm going for a section of the turf wall.

 

And that was that for a goodly way.  Much of it was along roads ...

 

 

Some of it was through little woods and copses ...

 

 

And many muddy and boggy fields were there.

 

 

 

Eventually, we came to be walking on something that might have been the Wall...

 

 

But then more...

 

 

and...

 

 

but then eventually...

 

 

... which we were pretty confident was a stretch of turf wall and ditch, and the best and longest bit of Wall of the day, so there we made our picnic.

 

It was another two and a half hours pleasant, but not very Roman, walk to Carlisle, which greeted us with the sound of seagulls. 

 

Here we have been put up at the Crown & Mitre, a very substantial Edwardian hotel building of 1905 (grand staircase, ballroom, picture of President Woodrow Wilson when he visited, that sort of thing), so quite a scene of elegance upon which we burst with our muddy hiking boots, backpacks and weather-beaten faces (well, mine, anyway).

 

 

 

 

 

[TurboSnail]

I walked the Harrow's Scar section of the wall a few weeks ago, a lovely part of the world - if a brief diversion into railway matters is permitted, I spotted this van at farm/B&B along the way (forget the scenery, must photograph railway-related thing). I suspect with the corrugated ends it is of LMS origin, but I'm no expert on anything north of Reading (and very little south of there...).

 

[Compound2632]

6 minutes ago, TurboSnail said:

I suspect with the corrugated ends it is of LMS origin, but I'm no expert on anything north of Reading (and very little south of there...).

 

I too know little of such modernity, but it looks to me like this BR 12 ton van, at the SRPS:

 

 

This particular one was built in 1959.

[Caley Jim]

The Crown and Mitre is where the Caledonian Railway Association hold their AGMs.   There's a very nice, retro, coffee shop in Bank St (Off English St opposite M&S) John Watt & Son (no relation).  Worth visiting just to see the array of teas and coffees on sale, And they do nice snack lunches.

 

Jim

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Is that a cow/calf/bullock trying to get through the kissing gate?

[nick_bastable]

7 hours ago, Edwardian said:

.

 

 

The Crown & Mitre, a very substantial Edwardian hotel building of 1905 (grand staircase, ballroom, picture of President Woodrow Wilson when he visited, that sort of thing), so quite a scene of elegance upon which we burst with our muddy hiking boots, backpacks and weather-beaten faces (well, mine, anyway).

 

Did one bathe and attend the Dinning room suitably dressed  with Miss  T also  suitably attired ?

 

Excellent travelogue  could Miss T become your own Boswell ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Donw]

Thoroughly enjoying the walk. It is much easier from the PC but miss the actual walking and the fresh air. 

 

Don

 

posted the above before reading the latest posts. Well actually wrote it yesterday and forgot to press submit.

 

I hope you both are feeling jolly pleased with yourselves. A well earned sense of achievement is due.

 

Don

Edited August 5, 2023 by Donw

[monkeysarefun]

I really enjoyed this.

 

Its a shame about the weather, but I come not to compare and contrast and be all annoyingly  Australian because it rained here today too.

Edited August 5, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Nearholmer]

Yes, it’s raining here today too, and it did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and all last week, and most of the week before, and …… well, you get the picture.

 

Summer is the new February.

[monkeysarefun]

Its been glorious until today, but tomorrow and Monday will be showers.

 

No doubt come January we'll all be on fire though so I'm enjoying the wet  while I can.

[Nearholmer]

It’s the sheer un-dependability of it that gets to me. In the first week of last August we were all moaning because it was baking hot and all our lawns had died, now it’s sopping wet, astonishingly cold, everyone has a lawn with lush grass about three feet high, and is moaning it’s too wet to cut. It would be really helpful if we could have fixed and regular things to moan about.

 

More to the point: I’ve found The Intrepid Expedition really interesting, for the historical content, but also because my son and I intend something similarly uncomfortable, but involving bicycles, once he finishes his ‘O Levels’ next summer. 

[Andy Hayter]

Ah but it rained on St. Swithin's day this year.

 

And maybe it's not the nonsense that we tend to think of it.

If we consider 40 days to be used in the biblical sense of meaning many, rather than the precise number between 39 and 41, and then look at weather patterns we might begin to see a germ of truth in the myth.

 

The jet stream tends to set into fairly stable patterns during the summer, so if it is towards the South of Europe in the first half of July, it is likely to stay that way for some weeks- that's this year and when it is towards the South, low pressure systems can sweep in across the UK and Northern France bringing a series of rain showers.  If however the Jet Stream is further north in early July, then these low pressure systems are pushed further North and the areas of mid-West Europe can bask in sun - like last year.

 

Of course it does not always end up as black and white as the last 2 years and that leads people to make fun of the idea.  

[Schooner]

14 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

sheer un-dependability of it

This should be attached as the TL:DR to every article, comment and pub conversation on the subject.

 

EDIT: /soapbox

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Schooner
Second edit to clarify: I'm running with Brother Nearholmer's comment. The system we know isn't changing; the system we knew is FUBAR

[jcredfer]

4 hours ago, Schooner said:

This should be attached as the TL:DR to every article, comment and pub conversation on the subject.

 

EDIT: /soapbox

 

A lovely gentleman, who visits quite regularly, just loves a conspiracy theory.  In the midst of the Covid melee, he he came out with the "Fact" that the Lateral Flow kits were highly carcinogenic and therefore should be banned.  I told him that I wasn't in the slightest bothered, should that be proved to be so, as I was not in the habit of consuming any of the test substances, either before or after the test.  To his credit he broke into a broad smile and wandered off down the path, to his car, chuckling.    🤣

 

 

[drduncan]

On 02/08/2023 at 21:54, Compound2632 said:

 

If you walk into the weather, you do see it coming - not just the rain but the sunny intervals - and you also pass through it more quickly. If you walk with your back to the weather, that band of rain just travels along with you.

However, in my 6-7mile each way cycle to work I long for the days when I have a SE wind in the morning and a NW in the afternoon to waft me along. Cycling into the teeth of a SW English channel gale takes the joy out of the morning- assuming the act of cycling hasn’t already achieved that.

Duncan

[drduncan]

On 03/08/2023 at 00:15, St Enodoc said:

Used to love taking the children there when we lived at Polesworth.

I forgot you were at Warwickshire lad at one point. Wall must have been one of the few ‘interesting’ places my brother and I weren’t dragged to by our parents when we lived in Nuneaton.

Duncan

Edited August 6, 2023 by drduncan