Good Morning all!
I had some fun before I left the hotel. The neighbor’s dog wanted to play catch, so I obliged him.
This was the only flat part of today’s walk. No surprise there. Today's walk was a mere 9.2 miles. And tomorrow, I have a day off.
My first sighting of Heidreins’ Wall. Hadrian's Wall was/is a defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, started in AD 122 under the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. It was 73 miles long.
The only bench on the walk. It even has a name, “Walltown."
The top snake photo doesn’t thrill me. It is a poisonous Adder. Says to leave them alone. I have no problem following that suggestion.
Much of the wall disappeared due to road building in the 18th century and farmers taking the stones to build their fences and farms. Preserving much of what remains can be credited to John Clayton, who, little by little, bought the land on which the wall was erected. Clayton, a prosperous farmer, used his farm profits for restoration work. After his death, the National Trust began buying more property and continued to restore it. No section is its original height.
I have always loved Arthurian Legends. Hadrian’s Wall was also featured in the 2004 film "King Arthur," in which one of its primary gates is opened for the first time since its construction to allow Arthur and his knights passage into the north for their quest. The climactic Battle of Badon between the Britons led by Arthur and his knights, and the Saxons led by Cerdic and his son Cynric, is set just inside the wall. (mostly copied from Wiki)
The sign says, "Cows with Calves Take Care!
Grazing cattle may
becomé protective of
calves especially when
dogs are present
If you are approached
by cattle, let go of
your dog immediately"
I don’t have a dog, and they look pretty content. Problems on the trail are just what happens. I got a nosebleed. What a terrible time to get a nosebleed. I started getting them regularly when I went through the FBI Academy at Quantico. I was beginning to think maybe I had a brain tumor or something awful. One of the instructors there told me they were really common at the academy due to the air being recirculated. He told me to use vaseline in my nostrils. It worked. I still get them in winter when it is dry. As you probably guessed, I neither had vaseline nor a Q-tip, but I had to do something. I was tired of other hikers seeing me sitting in the grass with a handful of Kleenexes and asking if I needed a doctor. Kind of them, but I was fine. My only choice was a packet of mayonnaise and a pencil with an eraser. It worked! And it made me think of BLTs for the next hour.
Cawfields Quarry with Hadrian’s Way in the background, and even more exciting, there was a clean ladies’ loo. They are as rare as hen's teeth on this route.
It was ingenious how this wall was built between these huge mini-mountains. It would be tough to breach this fortress.
I saw these three guys on the trail. Two of them were traveling together, while the other was traveling solo. Mannerly gentlemen, all 60 or probably 70 plus. They are standing at the highest point of Hadrian's Wall.
This is a drawing of a normal section of the wall. Caufields are openings in the wall that mimic our Customs Controls today.
I love British signs. The road butted up to this tree. I guess some numnutz must have parked there. It was a narrow one-lane road.
I ended my walk in Once Brewed. I understand that if you enter the town from one direction, the sign says “Once Brewed,” and if you enter it from the other direction, it says "Twice Brewed.” The most romantic story is that on the eve of the Battle of Hexham in 1464, Yorkist foot soldiers demanded their beer be brewed again because it lacked its usual fighting strength. The ploy worked as the Lancastrian army later fled after an early morning raid against the rejuvenated troops.
I had to wait for more than an hour for my ride to the hotel where I was staying. It was about a half-hour ride off the trail. I went to the Twice Brued Inn and the little sign says, "HISTORICAL SITE - On this day 14th January 1863, absolutely nothing happened."
This was also on the outside wall. To the left is the stone mentioned on the sign.
My hotel is the Red Lion Inn at Newbrough, pronounced "New Bruff"
I had a delectable dinner. I ordered two appetizers: twice-baked cheese soufflé with creamy cheese sauce and pork and chorizo meatballs topped with spiced tomato salsa and glazed cheese. They were so good that I forgot to take a photo. The soufflé was almost like a cheese puff with cheese fondue, and the meatballs had a good spicy kick. But the real pièce de résistance was the sticky toffee pudding. Moist and caramelized and too good to leave even a smidgeon. Talk about a sweet dream!
I am hoping to finish today’s blog before I retire tonight and be caught up.
God bless you all!
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