How Little Asteryx Tried to Keep Vp with Derek the Elder?
By Chris Thickett
Whilst much of the Club were celebrating 'completion' by cavorting and carousing down at the Hut, Derek and I were pacing and patrolling our far northern frontiers although, I stress, not in search of another building project. This was in spite of the request from this Italian bloke who reckoned that he needed a hand or two in repairing a certain boundary wall of his but we told him to go and stick it up his toga.
This was to be Derek's special project for his eightieth year - the walk across England on the newly inaugurated Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail from Wallsend to Bowness on Solway.
Derek, known to some as 'Sonny', was keen to do the whole of the walk and to stop off at as many of the interesting sites along the way. With this in mind we forged a suitable itinerary and booked the accommodation for the seven nights that we decided we needed.
Subsequently, I managed to twist my ankle the very next day but luckily recovered enough over the intervening fortnight to complete the trip although with the necessary aid of a pair of 'zimmer' sticks.
Later than expected our bus arrived in the Geordie capital where we immediately jumped on the metro for South Shields to visit the Arbeia fort just before it closed for the day. After a quick look in the small museum and remarkable reconstructed gateway, a very nice lady threw us out into the streets of terrace houses - obviously built by the Romans to house civilians.
Next morning we arrived at the gates of a second Roman fort, again deserted except for some more very friendly museum staff. This was Segedunum at Wallsend at the end of the Wall. We allowed ourselves half an hour when a something like half a day was needed but we had a big task to get underway. Therefore at 10.30 we were escorted out of the back of the museum and thus ceremoniously or otherwise started the great trek, Roman remains on one side, modern shipyards (Signvs and Nimrod) on the other.
By disused railway track and river bank we walked the 5 miles into the centre of Newcastle where we were excited by the 'buzz' along the Quayside with the famous bridges, sculptures and buildings, all taken from the guidebook 'ancient and modern.'
After walking about 15 miles in boiling hot weather we left the banks of the Tyne at last and struggled up the hill to the village remarkably named 'Seddon-on-the-Wall' when my 'youthful' companion made the following observation concerning the Path: "It's not for the old and infirm, is it?"
The second day of our walk followed a section of the Wall buried under the modern road. In an attempt not to lose too many walkers under the wheels of speeding chariots so near the beginning of the Path, its architects had negotiated the aquisition of strips of land along the roadside and within the adjoining fields. So that's where we spent the day although we did not miss St Oswald's Church, a chunk of 'shrinking' Wall and the Brunton Turret. Near Chollerford, in the late afternoon we inspected the interesting remains of the bridge which took the Wall over the North Tyne. We knew everything was going well when we found the lucky phallic symbol. And that evening, we dined at 'The Hadrian' in Wall, of course.
At Chesters fort next morning we allowed an hour but stayed an hour and a half. It was rightly popular with visitors and the small museum was bursting with artefacts and displays. They could easily extend the museum as there are loads of suitable stones lying about outside.
After an hour's walking we came to a fairly continuous section of the wall or its obvious outline. At Brocolitia fort a short diversion brought us to the Mithraeum temple, a delightful surprise and rare gem, not to be missed, especially if you are an Assyrian archer. Perhaps we don't have many of those in the KMC these days although I think Parbatti Bob used to have some connection.
The day got longer and so did Derek's strides. My little legs became a blur - "I'm keeping up! I'm keeping up!"
Later we reached Sewingshields Crags the beginning of the most interesting part of the Wall - you know with escarpment to the right facing untamed Sheenaland. A series of switchback hills followed to Housesteads fort which we did not inspect unfortunately due to pressing time. More good examples of Wall, milecastles and turrets were to be found along the edge to Crag Lough with its dismal pond and sparkling climbing - or have I got that the wrong way round? We arrived at six at the Once Brewed youth hostel just in time to book a meal but too late for the apple crumble. There seems to be many theories why 'Once Brewed' got its name, some so outlandish you would have thought I could have invented them!
A trip to Vindolanda fort was scheduled for the following morning leaving the rucksacks at the hostel. The ruins of the fort and civilian development, the reconstructions of the Wall in stone and turf, reconstructions of Roman buildings and finally the museum, we found all fascinating. Oh! I nearly forgot the communial bogs. Being quite regular myself, I just wonder whether there was mixed bathing (in a manner of speaking) and did everyone piss themselves laughing whenever someone farted loudly! And was there genuine concern and encouragement for your constipated neighbour?
When we became completely exhausted of the museum exhibits we returned to the Wall for more simple and easier exercise, collecting the rucksacks on the way.
The Wall continued westwards along the northern escarpments via Windshields Crags, Caw Gap, Great Chesters fort and Walltown Crags. After a really good half day's walking over the above we arrived at the Roman Army Museum just in time to watch the film showing aerial views of the section just travelled and including a computer reconstruction. And very good it was too! Although it was a bit quick or was that just me trying to keep up as usual!
Afterwards we cut through the fields and cows to Greenhead village where the primitive Methodist chapel is now a very comfortable and friendly youth hostel. I wonder if we were suppose to says our prayers at bedtime?
First stop next day was the 14th century Thirwell Castle - just a minute, those stones look familiar! We marched on via lane, field, golf course, vegetable patch and hibiscus border to Gilsland where we encountered a long section of the Wall right next to the road. "You could bring your granny here," my companion exclaimed. "Your granny, Derek?"
We inspected the remains of the Roman bridge that used to cross the wandering River Irthing and then crossed by the asymmetrical arc of the new footbridge made of wonderful rusty iron. Unfortunately the Indian summer had come to a murky end and the rain had at last started to fall after several weeks of the dry. But still it was not too cold! This inclament weather obviously resulted from our failure of not finding some more lucky phallic symbols known to be hereabouts.
Birdoswald Roman fort and museum were reached by lunch time where we had a picnic overlooking the river in a spectacular if damp position.
Later in the afternoon we made a worthwhile diversion down to Lanercost Abbey with its church and substantial sandstone ruins.
We spent the night in the village of Walton where I had meal at the Centurion pub with a near octogenarian.
If it is Sunday then we must be in Carlisle! After a ten mile quick tramp we arrived in the environs of the ancient and hysterical city but passed by along the banks of the Eden to our digs three miles to the west. Later we bussed back into the city centre, although too late for the Tulle House museum, we shared the castle with a fast American determined to cover the whole of Britain in record time. I wondered if he was sponsored. At a rest stop he showed us some of his holiday photos, none of which he could recognise. He even could not tell us where he had been. We recommended three of four hundred sites that he should not miss then off he rushed into the late afternoon!
On the last day we left the B&B in heavy rain headed further west towards the Solway. We amused ourselves with the retelling of and the laughing at old jokes, any less than thirty years old being declared as not yet reaching suitable maturity.
Small villages, seemingly unvisited until now by civilised humankind, appeared now and then before we arrived at Bough on the Sands - pronounced locally as Bruff! We visited the old church where Edward the One was brought after he died of dysentery whilst waiting to cross the estuary. Obviously, an early example of 'shit or bust'! But what an ignominious end to the 'Hammer of the Scots' and builder of the Welsh castles!
In the meantime the sun had returned to the sky just when we had the three mile walk along the straight road that crosses the mud flats. "When the tide reaches this point the water will be three feet deep on the road," warned a sign. Blimey! That'll be up to my chin!
Around three-thirty we arrived at Bowness on Solway where a wooden gazebo overlooking the estuary has been specially constructed to house the final rubber stamp for your 'Hadrian's Wall Path passport." It did not matter if we stamped ours' or not as we had already missed 3 of the 6 stations. Within minutes the kindly MacCallum and MacCallum appeared to guide us not only to their waiting taxi but also to the public toilets where we signed the visitors' book for Wall walkers, a much better idea than the passport although a little more vulnerable in times of paper shortages.
Derek signed off with "aged 79¼", wondering whether he was the oldest yet to complete the 84 miles of the Hadrian's Wall Path but knowing that it was a very worthwhile and fascinating trip, although not very strenuous even for a old boy from Cheadle!
