Covid Journal, Day 35: A Tiny Piece of Hadrian's Wall

(This didn't post yesterday. Guess I didn't hit the buttons right!)

Another cold morning, beginning the day at 35 degrees on the porch. But oddly no frost, though I am sure it was cold enough away from the house. It stayed cloudy, but cleared up just after noon.

I thought I'd go back to my England photos again today, as there are still a few places left that we visited but I didn't get to writing about. One of the places I really wanted to see was Hadrian's Wall. I didn't want to walk it, I just wanted to see it.

Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans as a defense against those marauding and willful Scots clans. Apparently even the Romans must have been intimidated by the Scots! The wall was begun in 122 AD and completed around 128 AD, an astonishing feat considering the wall ran some 73 miles. There were several forts along its length; the one we visited was called Housesteads, which is near the western end of the wall.

This map from Wikipedia shows the actual route of the wall, which is not, as I had always thought, the border between England and Scotland. It seems the Romans chose the shortest route to divide the island, although the terrain must have been a challenge.

By Hadrians_Wall_map.png: Created by NormanEinstein, September 20, 2005derivative work: Talifero (talk) - Hadrians_Wall_map.png, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15121382

There is another wall, the Antonine Wall, shown on this map that is further north. The whole area was called Caledonia, and according to the Wikipedia article, the Romans never succeeded in conquering the people of Caledonia. So perhaps the Scots reputation as a fighting people was well-earned.

Along the drive up to the wall--a road not unlike some here in WV.

There is quite a long, gradual uphill walk to reach the visitors' center, and then a further uphill climb to the fort itself. In this photo you can see the visitors' center. A winding trail indeed.

It was a beautiful sunny day when we visited Housesteads, with a strong wind and rather warm temperatures, up in the 80's F. So I came home from England with a suntan, a rare experience I'm sure!

The countryside was wide and sweeping, with stunning views.

Inside the ruins of the Housesteads Fort:

I cannot remember what this round structure was. Does anyone know?

And here, at last I got to stand on Hadrian's Wall with my sisters.

The museum was full of interesting artifacts found in the vicinity of the fort, and this depiction of what the fort may have looked like when it was completed. It was quite an extensive project.

This display fascinated me. All about leather and its uses in Roman times.

 And you know I loved this--a glass bottle!

This sculpture stood outside.

I was so happy to have finally seen this wall. Imagine, it was built a little over 100 years since Jesus walked the earth. I wonder if the soldiers told stories about him or his followers, who I am sure they considered crazy people.

I have only two or three more posts to finish all the places we visited on our trip in August. It was a memorable time. I had hoped to go back overseas this summer, possibly to Scotland, but the virus has put paid to that idea. So I will have to save my money and wait until next year, when hopefully this poor planet will be well again.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.