Hadrians Wall Country

Halloween Ice Cream & The Wall

2011-10-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hadrian's Wall has many things to offer but this is a first ... Halloween ice cream sandwiches!

Check out this Halloween ice cream video.

Mint choc chip ice cream and chocolate cookies make for a great 'spooky' Halloween treat and this one is on offer from Off The Wall, a coffee shop close to Hadrian's Wall.

If you are not walking the Wall at the moment and are staying at home for Halloween, you might want to try making your own mint choc chip ice cream to put into your favourite cookies.
Yummmmm!

Villages Along Hadrian's Wall

2011-07-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

When most people visit Hadrian's Wall they naturally focus on reading up on the main forts that can be found along the Wall such as Vindolanda and Chesters.

Whilst this is important, they sometimes miss out on learning about the wonderful variety of villages that can be found along the Wall, such as Lanercost and Bardon Mill.

Read more about villages along Hadrian's Wall so that next time you visit one of the forts you also enjoy visiting the surrounding area. There are some wonderful tea rooms out there!

Hadrian's Wall Questions and Answers

2011-07-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of information on the web about Hadrian's Wall - from Wikipedia pages to blogs and more but this is the first time I've seen a Hadrian's Wall Questions and Answers.

For example, what is the story behind the Robin Hood tree? Don't know? Well, if you're a fan of movies or Kevin Costner in particular you'll be interested to know!

More Of Chesters Roman Fort On Hadrian's Wall

2011-06-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

If you look closely at the excavated ruins at Chesters Roman Fort you will begin to appreciate not only what life was like almost 2,000 years ago in this Northern part of the Roman Empire but the skill of the builders. The stonework is incredibly precise and it's clear that much thought and hard work went into the building of the fort.

A good example is the bathhouse - the picture below is of the entrance to the bathhouse. Note the stone step worn down by countless feet over time!

This is a picture taken inside what was once the bathhouse used by Roman soldiers ...

Read more about Roman baths on Wikipedia

Hadrians Wall Accommodation

2011-06-20T03:21:00.000-07:00

If you're a keen walker interested in Roman history, there's probably no better holiday for you than walking along Hadrian's Wall!

Most people who take a walking holiday stay in b&b accommodation as they like to walk a stretch of the Wall then stay over night, doing the same the next day and moving on. So if you decide to walk Hadrian's Wall you might want to check out bed and breakast hadrians wall.

On the other hand, you could enjoy staying in just one location such close to Hadrian's Wall such as in a self catering holiday cottage. This would enable you to get to know the area in more detail, taking walks along the Wall but also through the towns and villages in its immediate vicinity. If you choose to stay in Cumbria for example you could stay in one of numerous cottages Hadrian's Wall has to offer and visit Lanercost which has one of the most interesting medieval churches in the North of England.

Roman Hot Bath & Latrines On Hadrian's Wall

2011-06-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

The excavated ruins of the Roman fort that once existed at Chesters along Hadrian's Wall are amongst the most fascinating you will see.

You can walk into part of what was once a Roman hot bath. The picture below shows how much of the original stone walls are still intact ...

This picture is of the latrine (communal toilets) ...

Hadrian's Wall At Chesters

2011-05-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hadrian's Wall has a number of definitive points under the care of English Heritage which you can visit and where you can walk around excavated ruins. These include Birdoswald, Housesteads, Vindolanda and Chesters, all of which I have visited over the years. They all have something special to offer so it's no surprise that tourists come to these sites from all corners of the globe.

Here are 2 photographs taken at Chesters Roman Fort.

More photographs to follow soon.

Hadrian's Wall Path

2011-05-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite walks is from Lanercost village up the hill to Hayton Gate and following Hadrian's Wall Path round in a circle.

Photo - view from near the top of the hill looking down over Lanercost Priory

Bearing left at the top of the hill and following Hadrian's Wall Path down the field to the bottom, you come to a point where the river winds its way under a small bridge.

Photo below - signpost near the bridge indicating the direction of Hadrian's Wall Path.

Bearing left again (not crossing the bridge), the path meanders past farmers' fields (usually full of sheep) and eventually comes out back in Lanercost.

It's a quiet walk where there is little but the sound of sheep and the wind blowing through the trees. When the sun shines and the horizon is clear the view is wonderful - endless fields and forests as far as the eye can see.

Photo below - Sheep in the fields alongside the walk

The walk is favoured by many locals as well as tourists, especially those lucky enough to be staying in the area for a week or so such as at the Lanercost holiday cottages - amongst the most historic luxury cottages Cumbria has to offer.

Walking Hadrian's Wall Near Lanercost

2011-04-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

In addition to the official, established sites on Hadrian's Wall with their wonderfully excavated ruins, there are small sections of the Wall dotted here and there over the hills of Cumbria and Northumberland.

Some are more well known than others and one or two remain 'hidden gems' tucked away. I recently went on a walk up above the village of Lanercost in Cumbria and, as I was walking across a field looking out towards the Scottish hills in the North, I was amazed to see a ditch running down the hill from top to bottom. On closer inspection there was a chunk of what appeared to be Hadrian's Wall about 8 feet across in size - just sitting in the middle of the field on the other side of the ditch (vallum).

This picture below shows the vallum and the small piece of the Wall (just right of centre) ...

This is a close up cropped shot ...

Views From Hadrian's Wall

2011-04-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hadrian's Wall has to be one of the great of World Heritage sites. There are so many different sites along the length of the Wall to visit and from which you can enjoy magnificent views. Here are 2 pictures of views from Hadrian's Wall which I took whilst up at the Walltown Crags site.

The raw beauty of the unspoiled, surrounding countryside is a joy to behold.

Sheep Climbing Hadrian's Wall!

2011-04-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

One thing we expected to see around Hadrian's Wall up at the Walltown Crags site was sheep. We weren't disappointed and what's more they didn't seem to mind sharing their 'turf' with the groups of humans who were busy looking at the Wall. This picture, however, shows something we didn't expect to see ... sheep climbing up and over the Wall! We watched as they trotted along from one side of the Wall and nonchallantly hopped up and over all in single file to then carry on to find some fresh grass on the other side.

Hadrian's Wall Close Up On Walltown Crags

2011-04-03T00:55:00.000-07:00

In my last post on walking up to Hadrian's Wall at Walltown Crags, I shared with you views as you approach the Wall walking up the hill. Once you reach the top the experience becomes even more exciting! First of all, you get to see parts of Hadrian's Wall close-up and some parts are surprisingly quite high (5 to 6 feet) - see picture 1. Then, you turn to take in the views .... simply breathtaking. Little has changed in the landscape for centuries and the way the Wall snakes its way up and over the hills is quite amazing - see picture 2.

Walking Up To Hadrian's Wall On Walltown Crags

2011-03-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

The walk up the hill towards Hadrian's Wall at the Walltown Crags site took us about 10 minutes from when we parked our car. Thankfully it hadn't been raining too much in the preceding days so it wasn't very muddy and though there was a cold wind, it was a bright day without too much cloud. So it was an enjoyable little trek up to the top. The first picture shows the incline of the hill you face as you walk up. The silhouette of the lone tree against the blue skyline contrasts well with the grey Hadrian's Wall stone and the green grass. The second picture demonstrates how the Romans had no problem in building the Wall up an incline, building it so well in fact that large chunks like this are still there solidy fixed into the ground almost 2,000 years later!

Hadrian's Wall - Walltown Crags & Sheep

2011-03-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

There are many parts of Hadrian's Wall still visible today and every set of ruins has its own character.

Walltown Crags, for example, offers a unique view of Hadrian's Wall and the surrounding countryside. Perched high up in one of England's most unspoiled areas of countryside, the walk to get up onto the wall itself is strenuous. Also, if it has been raining and the ground is muddy, you need to tread carefully, so be sure to wear stout walking shoes or, preferably, boots. Having said that, the views on reaching the top and standing at the edge of the wall are exhilerating!

Looking northwards towards the Scottish border, all you can see is unspoiled countryside - fields, forests and ..... sheep! What's more the sheep seem to love Hadrian's Wall. Here is a picture taken on one of our walks at Walltown Crags that exemplifies this perfectly!

In the next, several Hadrian's Wall Country blog posts, watch out for a series of photographs taken at Walltown Crags.

Hadrian's Wall - A Roman Heritage

2011-03-09T03:47:00.000-08:00

Hadrian's Wall country covers quite a large area of Northern England on the border with Scotland. It spans almost the entire width of mainland Britain from west to east crossing the counties of Cumbria and Northumberland.

What remains of Hadrian's Wall itself attracts people from all over the world. Some parts of the wall are only a foot or so in height, other areas are several feet high and the excavations at key sites along with exhibitions of what has been discovered are some of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

In this Hadrian's Wall blog, we're going to look at lots of different aspects, not just of the wall and the English Heritage sites but of the country surrounding it, the people and the everyday life that goes on and just why so many people continue to visit this part of the world for holidays.

To get you started though, here is some key reading to get you up to speed ...

Hadrian's Wall On Knol
Hadrian's Wall On Wikipedia