DAY NINE: Willowford to Walton

Eager to get ground under shoes again we say goodbye to Liam, Anna, Allen, PiPi, and the lambs as we move on and they continue their lives in this quiet corner of Cumbria. What an inspiration they are!

Bye Allen...zzzzip! 

SEE? There IS NO BUS! It doesnt exist! Read it! 

This was one of those days. Things just didn't fall into place. There has to be one of those, right? Ups and downs like the Crags. 


Shortly after leaving Willowford we climb out out of the the Irthing River valley to Birdoswald. The ruins are situated on a high spur above the river. Although the guide book says there are  a half dozen engravings in the stone wall, 2 phalluses and some Centurion ( dedication) stones, we didn't fine one. Not one. Another trip then.....

Undefeated ( but ok, I was annoyed, who doesn't want to find carvings of penises?) we get our passport stamped and leaving come upon a kite festival. One of the participants had a long chat with us. These guys travel with their collections to show all over the country. 

The farmhouse attached to the fort is a bastle, a fortified farm. Remember the Reivers! 

Bastle at Birdoswald

Sweet!

The easy walking from field to field of wildflowers, gates, stiles and farm stock reminded me of the Cotswolds. The sun was out, the grass was sweet. The miles went easily. We passed an "honor bar", in this case a kid, Matthew, was collecting money in exchange for snacks. That's his picture with his dog. 

The Wall was dwindling if present at all. The ditch and Vallum continued. West of the Irthing Bridge at Willowford and out to the sea, the Wall was originally turf until it was rebuilt in stone later. Here we saw the undulations and scars of that first Wall, but changes are happening in more ways than one.

The Post Reads 1865

New Landscape With the Northumbrian Crags on the Distant Left

 Another frustration! Here on Hare's Hill is a tattered remnant of the Wall. The Book says on the side away from the road there is a dedication stone stating that Primus Pilus built it, and the initials "SSP". We didnt find it. Later I read that this isn't even the real Wall, its a 19C mock up made of Roman stones form the Wall and the carving stones are from another place entirely. What gives? 

There were small bits of Wall along the way, hidden under turf , sunken into embankments, but it made for a sad end. 

Lanercost Priory side trip. Fast forward to 1166.
 Like everything else around here, it incorporates stone from the Wall along with the local sandstone, which is soft and looks like wet clay, making everything inside seem softened and melting. It was attacked many times, once by Robert the Bruce in person. The mortally sick King Edward I - "Longshanks" - rested here for 5 months in 1306, recovering from dysentery, shortly before his death on his final campaign at Burgh by Sands ( hey... we're going there!) . 
The Priory was dissolved in 1538 by our friend Henry. It didnt strike me as romantic or bucolic, it was pretty creepy. 

The ticket lady offered us a taste of ginger liqueur from her secret stash. 
It gets lonely in a haunted and dark ruin. 

We got more mead, we're on an English Heritage gift shop Mead Crawl Across the Wall! 

Let there be MEAD! 

We ended our walk at Walton, mostly road walking . There is one little hidden Roman artifact, the bridge abutment, now taken over by bracken and the busy road over the modern bridge. Sigh. 

Having been thwarted enough today we were in for more when it turned out I didn't have the hotel's phone number. After trying various things Phil was able to get the website up on  his phone.  Then the hotel wouldn't call us a taxi. While we waited for it to come, another trekker arrived hoping for a pub. He'd come all the way from Carlisle, a good 13 miles, passing another pub that was closed. He ran ahead of his friends... but he didnt want food, he wanted to watch the 3pm soccer game! We gave him our taxi friend's info so he could go to Gilsland. Small world.

Still much to enjoy and find beauty in the English countryside.














But hang on.... the insanity isn't over yet. I suppose after 8 days of perfect timing and wonderful plans coming to fruition, we were due for some smack down. 
The taxi overcharged us for the ride but I was so tired suddenly I didn't know enough to contest his fare. 

As soon as I walked into the hotel I knew we were in the wrong place. How they can make a photoslook entirely different from the reality on line! 

My Trip Talisman(men)

Following the theme of Gothic tales and vampires, welcome to the Dalston Hall Hotel. Hear the front door go crrreeeeeak? Ugh... it looks like something out of a bad horror movie. Walking through the halls, that smell like old lady, reminds me of "The Shining". I'll say no more.
No wait... The Shining Meets Denny's.

Plus, I left my adapter and iPhone cord at Willowford. Damn! I am one sad Centurion. 

Don't Let the Pictures Fool You

Manor Exterior Motel 6 Interior

The Jar on the Right Lights Up

Oh to Be Outside! 

Drink Tea And Carry On

And now it's almost 10.30pm, the sky has just darkened. Well, there's always the new day..... we have 2 more stages and a visit to Old World Charm Carlisle. I just want to be outside with the grass under my feet. 

DAY EIGHT: Haltwhisle and Biding Time

Distant Crags

WHAT'S THAT LIGHT IN THE SKY? It hurts my eyes and feels hot on my skin..... an alien life force of epic proportions......the sun at last. 
Well, it IS getting close to June, just 2 days away, you would think, right?

Much as I want to walk because the addiction has set in hard, we went to nearby Haltwhisle by taxi to find a laundrette and stock up on dried mango. I was out of clean walking clothes and Phil had no socks. But I saw people gearing up and heading out, and like a racehorse left in its stall, I was stomping and prancing to go.

Rest is good too, muscles need to recover to get stronger. We're a day ahead of schedule having lengthened some stages, so we're good. 

Some factoids about HALTWHISLE:

Probably in existence in Roman times, the good peeps of Haltwhisle claim their village is the exact geographic center of England.
The first part of the name is thought to be  derived from Old English hēafod, for 'hill-top'.
The second part "twistle" means two streams or rivers.

I love this stuff....4 miles south of the village, and not on our plan today, is Featherstone Castle. It's private so we couldn't go in and didn't use the leg power just to peep. That's what the internet is for! The oldest part of the castle still standing  is a 14C tower built by Thomas de Featherstonehaugh in the 1320’s.  Abigail Featherstonehaugh, who lived in the late 17th century was to marry a neighboring Baron’s son, but was in love with another local fellow. As the bridal party rode to the wedding, the spurned lover made an attack, but the new bridegroom put up a good fight. All were killed in the fray. At midnight the sound of horses’ hooves were heard outside the castle, the door opened into the banqueting hall and the ghostly apparition of Abigail and the rest of the party entered. The Baron fainted at this spectral procession. It is claimed the ghostly wedding party can be seen each 17th January in Pynkin’s Cleugh, a narrow valley just over the river from the Castle.

Here's another one - Bellister Castle was owned by Robert de Ros and his descendants from 1191 to 1295. There is a very old Sycamore tree in front of the west side of the castle which is known as the ‘Hanging Tree’.  It is reputedly haunted by a ‘Grey Man’, the ghost of a minstrel who, having been unjustly accused of being a spy, was cruelly killed by hounds as he fled the castle in fear of his life.  

Clean Clothes!

Underwhelming Haltwhisle

Apples hung out to attract who?
It's too bad that Haltwhisle was a disappointment.  It was glum, tired and unpleasant. Restraurant staff were acting as if they didnt know they'd have people coming in, one place turned us away, they simply had too many people to cook for even though there were empty tables. After doing laundry , and being chatted up by a woman who had to tell us every relative who had moved to the US and where they lived, we went back to Gilsland where we had a very nice lunch outside under the trees at Megs Tearooms. I can see Haltwhisle's purpose - train, grocery, pharmacy and laundry. It did have a 13C church, that had been ruined by renovation, and a number of fortified anti-Reiver bastles. 

Back of a Bastle

Megs Tearoom

My Office

This is our last night here, tomorrow we head off again with our backs to Willowford and stay at new digs near Carlisle. 

Goodbye to Willowford

Goodbye Kitteh

There's still a lot more to come. 

DAY SEVEN: Steel Rigg to Willowford Farm, Gilsland

I loved today, I loved today! Though I limped into the barnyard at days end, we nailed it. 10 miles in less than 6 hours. Nice!  I was elated by all we saw. Big changes today as we leave behind the windswept crags of Northumbria and head into the rolling farmland fields of Cumbria. We reach the highest point on the path, at 1145 ft (My GPS) . As I look back from outside Chesters Great Fort to the then roller coaster steep drops and climbs, is like waving goodbye to an old friend.

An excellent full English brekky to start the day, then our friendly and chatterbox cabbie takes us back to our start point, Steel Rigg. The air is cool but still. It's Saturday and the path is more populated today. 

Starting out from Steel Rigg looking west into the day. No rain, less wind, very good.

Highest Elevation on the Path 

Roman Milestone on the Right as a Gate Post

A Sheep Gate

These were built into the walls to let sheep pass from one pasture to another. 

More of This Steep Up and Down

And the road goes on forever...... my confession is my toes hurt. Gripping downwards is a strain. I need my sheep wool protection device. Otherwise I'm doing well.

Great Chesters Fort is unexcavated and lies in a farm pasture. Built to guard the Caw Gap, it's easy to see the bumps and stone outlines now but all the walls are underground . In the lower corner is an altar. 

The Store Room Under the Headquarters

Making an Offering at Great Chesters

Looking Back to Far Away , An "I Was There" Moment

Lunch in the Shelter of a Turret - Winshields Crag

Some of the Last Substantial Wall

A Small Piece

When I left Wallton and started across the fields, there was one small, broken segment of wall, alone and left to crumble. It was kind of sad to leave the crags behind and the Wall itself. For a long time I kept looking back at the high hills with the Wall undulating along the steep edge. It had been my companion. Now it was fading away.

The Ford and Footbridge at Thirlwall

Taking a break from Romans, is Thirlwall Castle. Like Langley, it's a fortified house built to protect the owners and their stock from Rievers. Now it just sits as part of a farm in the hamlet.

Thirlwall Castle

Phil in the Dungeon

Constant warring between Scotland and England meant that people living along the border lived in fear of harassment and death from one side or the other. Raiding parties would steal livestock, possessions, burn houses, rape, kidnap and destroy for gain or spite. This was known as reiving. Anyone could be a victim
The words "kidnapped" "blackmail" and "bereaved " - to be a victim of the reivers - came from this time period. 
To protect themselves from this practice, landowners built small fortified houses called bastle houses, such as Langley and Thirlwell and one at Housesteads made from repurposed stones.  

I saw this post in a field, it looked like something old from somewhere else, or maybe I just have rocks on the brain. I see a lot of out of place structures, they're always being repurposed. Its fun to keep your eyes open. Apparently there were swatikas carved in the Wall, I didn't find out till later so I didn't see them. Lots of graffiti, artists signatures.... 

Last Stretch

Communing With the Locals

It's official, we say goodbye to Northumbria and hello to Cumbria. Half the village of Gilsland is in one county and half in the other.













Willowford at last! The driveway of our B&B follows the wall and the path continues through to Birdoswold. But tomorrow we take a break to find a laundry and rest up. 10 miles today, sore toes, tired eyes. A lot happened today, many changes, people, landscape. We're coming to the end and a day ahead of schedule. 

The Turret and Wall at Willowford

It's hard to imagine a world of people living here in this place 1800 years ago.1800 years!!  They had a civilization, education, a culture. they built walls, temples, bridges. They wanted to look good, eat well, they had friends, raised children, loved, fought wars, had hopes. When I stand beside their monuments I can't help but feel a little of their spirit. 

Plans for tomorrow and going over today. 

Poor Tootsies

If the only moan moan I have is some sore toes and nails I'm doing well. At 20 miles of crags in 2 days, we're on top of it. The sun sets around 10, it's light well after, The animals are all still up when I'm ready to call it quits.  

Playing With Allen

Sunset Willowford Farm and the Wall