Distance 21km • Walking Time 5 – 7 hrs • Ascent (↑) 450m
The next morning.
To quote my itinerary, “Follow the grassy path towards Black Carts Wall and Tower. Altogether 460m of narrow Wall on broad foundations can be found here with the remains of Turret 29A and Roman Ditch to the north. Although severely robbed on the south side, the masonry stands up to eleven courses high in the recess. The presence of the broad wing walls indicates that the tower might have been constructed prior to Hadrian’s Wall itself. The term ‘carts’ within the name is derived from the old English word ceart, which means rocky and rough.”
Black Carts Turret 29a
From my itinerary, “Follow the grassy path towards Black Carts Wall and Tower. Altogether 460m of narrow Wall on broad foundations can be found here with the remains of Turret 29A and Roman Ditch to the north. Although severely robbed on the south side, the masonry stands up to eleven courses high in the recess. The presence of the broad wing walls indicates that the tower might have been constructed prior to Hadrian’s Wall itself. The term ‘carts’ within the name is derived from the old English word ceart, which means rocky and rough.”
Panorama view complete with parkour DAD.
Where a modern wall meets the ancient wall.
Looking north towards the barbarian side of the wall. Note the barbarian DAD peering over.
A barbarian standing between the wall and the vallum.
Here the wall starts to disappear into the ground.
This is known as Limestone Corner which is the most northerly part of the wall. For many centuries it was the most northerly point of the Roman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone_Corner
To quote my itinerary, “This is Limestone Corner and it marks the most northerly point of Hadrian’s Wall and for three centuries that of the Roman Empire, with the exception of two short periods during which the Antonine Wall, north of here, was occupied by the Roman military. The very hard whinstone seemed to have stopped the engineers from completing the ditch north of the Wall. You can still find half worked boulders with the signs from Roman chisels on them. Curiously the Vallum ditch, just south of the road, has been successfully cut through the same rock. This might have been at a later date though.”
The site of Carrawburgh fort. This is another example of General Wade’s ruthless iconoclasm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrawburgh
I was walking towards a temple of Mithras when I encountered this cow. “The way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead, and the Dead keep it, until the time comes. The way is shut.”
Close Encounters of the Bovine Kind
The excavated remains of the Mithreum.
More vallum.
Lunch.
Grindon Turret 34a is still garrisoned. This was once used as a small house.
Sweingshields Milecastle 35
It gets quite steep here.
“Hark! A Pict approaches!”
This reminds me of a scene from Blackadder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976mmTNbLbg
Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.
- A. E. Housman, 1896
When you realize that you have been walking Hadrian’s wall and not the Antonine Wall.
After a small forest, we came upon Housesteads Roman Fort.
The last time I was here was on August 6th, 2007. That’s me in yellow. Note the people over my shoulder arriving at Housesteads.
Here I am August 17th, 2018. A little bit older.
Roughly from the same direction as the photo above. This is what Housesteads looked like in the later 4th century AD. Reconstruction drawing by Peter Urmston.
The Knag Burn gateway was one of the few gates through the wall that lay outside a milecastle or fort.
The tallest section of wall that we encountered.
Trying to find a working washroom.
We could not stay very long, unfortunately.
A very detailed walkthrough from our friends at Following Hadrian can be found here: https://followinghadrianphotography.com/2018/09/12/housesteads-roman-fort-vercovicium/
After leaving Housesteads, this is the only part of the wall that people are supposed to walk on. It gets quite steep on the right side.
The Old Man and the Sea Wall.
Milecastle 37. One of the more photogenic parts of the wall. There is pretty much a sheer drop just beyond the gate. Roman regulations said that there had to be gateways at certain intervals so the engineers just did as they were told.
Unfortunately, the arch stones on either side have not been standing for two millennia. Some are reproductions and have been placed there. My reaction when I realized that much of what I was seeing was created for tourists such as myself.
“You’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road…”
The above photo is a similar spot from where the painting featuring John Clayton as a legionary was situated
The famous Sycamore Gap! This tree has been popularized by its appearance in Kevin Costner’s 1991 movie ‘Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves’.
Here is a low quality video of that scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0RnajX2rW8
The tree also won the 2016 England Tree of the Year award! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sycamore_Gap_Tree
Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman in the film ‘Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves’.
Note the part of the wall they are standing on was reconstructed in the 19th century.
Walking towards a milecastle.
The milecastle in question.
We finished our day by visiting Twice Brewed in the town of Oncebrewed. Once again, Marshall Wade has made its way into my blog.
According to my itinerary, “There is not much in Once Brewed other than a decent pub, one of Britain’s oldest hostels, a visitor centre and a curious name linked to a legend. The story goes that General Wade, he who had the Military Way built, once stayed at the inn and was unhappy with the quality of the beer he was served. He ordered the beer to be brewed again and since then the pub was named Twice Brewed Inn and the village Once Brewed – or so the story goes.”
Fact!
It turns out that Twice Brewed has a microbrewery. I had the ‘Ale Caesar’!
Coming up to Cawfields Quarry. A part of the wall went up the hill but most of it has been destroyed by quarrying.
Our B&B was right on the trail.
The view from my window.
Day iii can be found here:
https://hadrianswall720834694.wordpress.com/2019/01/09/day-iv-once-brewed-to-lanercost/
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