Walking Hadrian's Wall - Day Five - Haltwhistle to Once Brewed

 Day five started with a pleasant walk, retracing part of the path I had walked yesterday coming to Haltwhistle. But this time, rather than continuing onwards at the bridge by the square chimney, I crossed it, and followed the path along Haltwhistle Burn, this water course with a green oasis surrounding it in the valley. It was gloriously calm and peaceful, with the sounds of running water and birds calling each other.

There's some beautiful rock formations too, this angular one really catching my eye as I walked past.

I was surprised by how much there was to see by the Burn, like this heron waiting patiently for something to eat here, or at these industrial ruins a little further up. I wasn't quite sure what this was, it didn't look wide enough to be the base of a chimney, but it also didn't look like a column or pillar.

I did know what this was though! This chimney, looked like it had been recently restored, towered above the trees, but I couldn't see what it would have been used for. Perhaps a kiln or charcoal making site was here previously?

You cross Haltwhistle Burn several times, over these little wooden bridges, before coming to the military road. A short walk along and across, and up the bank, and suddenly I was at Cawfields Quarry.

Not that much quarrying happens here now, it has been filled in and a lake created, and this was a fantastic place to stop and rest for a bit. There was toilets just outside, picnic benches to sit on, and admire the view.

This was beautiful, until I realised I would have to walk up the side of the steep crag!

I didn't think I was going to make it up to the top of the crag at one point, I thought I was going to keel over backwards and fall the entire way down again! It was worth it when I got there though, with this lovely bit of wall greeting you, which formed part of Milecastle 42.

Here you can clearly see the lines of the Vallum, the defensive ditch behind the wall, although it's quite far down and away from the wall. It's quite a constant presence for this part of the wall.

This cow seemed rather bemused by the occasional walker crossing through the field.

Here's part of the restored farmers wall, made from stones from Hadrian's wall, with the actual wall in the background. There was some conservation work going on here with the path, volunteers seemed to be clearing away some of the grass and laying down some gravel.

Further great views over to the hills in the south.

Here's where things took an interesting turn. These large dark clouds caught up with me, and seemed to stick here. They felt so close it was almost like I could reach up and touch them! 

And this is Greenslack Trig point, marking the highest point of the trail. I took a moment to enjoy it, before the hailstones started. Although only small ones, and it didn't last more than two minutes, with no shelter it was not a pleasant experience! 

Coming along from the trig point, the path started to descend, until I noticed this next crag I'd have to cross over! I'm saving that for tomorrow though! 

I came away from the trail, and headed down the road to Once Brewed, a quiet little place that boasts a pub, hostel and information centre. I dropped my rucksack off at the hostel, and then headed to Vindolanda. It was around a 3 miles walk in total there and back from Once Brewed, but I can assure you, it is well worth it! 

Once you pass through the ticket office, you'd be surprised by the recommendation, as someone in the hostel told me later on, they were at first disappointed. But once you enter the remains of the fort itself, the places comes alive.

(excuse the bad angle of this photo, I was excited and the first couple were all a bit skew-whiff!)

The fort has this wonderful feeling of life in it, there's a lot to see and explore, and at every point there was something interesting to see. Here you can see the main road running through the fort.

And here are some of the hypocaust, stone stacks under the floor that allowed hot air from a fire to warm the room, the concept is one of the earliest examples of central heating. The Romans certainly know how to live comfortably. The slaves that were tasked with keeping the fire going, perhaps not so much.

Here you can see the stone paving of the road, which despite being two thousand years old still looks almost as good as the day it was laid!

All around you is lush greenery, and the very dark clouds that kept threatening rain & hail again, but the opposite sky was blue with a few white clouds. Obviously was a very local downpour that just targeted me and the cows!

Here you can see the drainage channel that is still in use today

Just before the museum, I decided to grab myself something to eat, especially as James had just texted me and asked what I was having for lunch. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I sent him this. He literally responded with "that's a curious lunch". I didn't care, it was delicious! The café serves lots of different hot meals & snacks, and is well worth visiting on this stretch of walk, where there isn't a lot of other food options, unless you've stocked up on some provisions in Haltwhistle.

Without a doubt, the highlight of my time walking the wall was the museum here at Vindolanda. The fort is often called one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain, and here you can see why. The sheer amount of artefacts found here is mind boggling. I mean look at all these shoes that have been found! Turns out the Romans really did like their sandals! Too bad they hadn't invested hi-tops yet.

Other incredible finds included this leather face plate for a horse, as well as this almost complete pottery set. Imagine finding this, a full accompaniment of a dinner set, with beautiful exterior decoration and so finely made. That set is gorgeous, and I am very jealous! It shows that there was very wealthy people living here, not just soldiers, and it also shows how much trade was going on in the Empire. This particular set of bowls, plates & jugs came from Gaul (modern day France). Even more wild, was that it not only arrived broken, but the owner just tossed it into a ditch. Imagine having that much money that you could just throw a set like this away! In the ditch it has been beautifully preserved, and aside from the chips and cracks, you could even use it now.

Other incredible finds include this little bag that was found containing some leather off cuts, including a piece that had been turned into a mouse. I'd never seen anything like this before. It was possibly a child's toy, a practical joke, or maybe someone demonstrating their crafting skills.

Imagine being an archaeologist and discovering this fantastic glass bowl with the painted gladiators on it. This is a once in a lifetime find, and something that is a unique find too. Also on display were this selection of combs, a very personal object that would have no doubt been missed by its owner when it was lost.

The most important find at Vindolanda were the Vindolanda tablets, small postcard sized pieces of wood with writing & letters on them. They are so important for two reasons, firstly, they are some of the oldest written records, and the sheer number of them (1,700+) which create a rich picture of life on the Roman frontier. There are letters requesting supplies, medical help & sharing news, some of which that have come from as far away as London.

Secondly, one of the tablets contains what's believed to be the oldest female handwriting in the Western World. Tablet 291, which is an invitation to a birthday party, contains the signature and writing of Claudia Severa, the wife of a commander of a fort near Vindolanda. The first part is written by a scribe, but Claudia had added her own message to the bottom. It's so important, because although most women were not taught to read or write, but there was a section of women in society that had not just been taught for business/functional reasons, but used this to communicate with each other. This proves that literacy for women was more widespread than previously thought, and that the women of the Roman era had the means and ability to communicate longer distance and share ideas. With much of the fort still needing to be excavated, who knows what other tablets we may find.

There's also this restored temple, giving you an idea as to what it mat have looked like in its heyday.

Also at Vindolanda is this recreated area of the fort, showing you it's walls, a turret and the embankment that led up to it. It also helps to give you an idea of the what the fort looked like. 

A view of one of the reconstructed turrets.

There's also this excavated area of wall, with a possible rounded tower too.

If you only get to visit one fort on the wall, then make sure you visit Vindolanda. Possibly one of the most interesting places in the country. Entry costs £16 per adult, although you can get it as a combination ticket with the Roman Army Museum for £22. There's also an additional 10% off online when you prebook, so even more of a reason to go! You can find out more here @vindolanda.com

It was then another mile and a half back to The Sill where I was staying tonight, and after enjoying some sunshine at Vindolanda, I noticed the dark clouds were getting closer!

The Sill contains a little shop, exhibition centre and a rooftop terrace, which you can walk on. I headed up, had a little look around in the drizzle before the rain started to become heavier. I had a nose about the shop and the natural photography exhibition they had one, before heading to the hostel for some dinner.

I stayed at the YHA @www.yha.org.uk/thesill which was a basic hostel, but was very clean and modern throughout. It was the cheapest place I was staying in for the walk, and it was very good value. There's also a bar and food offering. Nothing like a cider after a busy day!

There's a limited but good value menu, I went for the spicy pizza with chips and then a brownie & ice cream for pudding. Got to get a good meal in before the walk tomorrow! I ended up chatting to a couple who were doing a similar walk to me, although they were planning to do a lot more tomorrow. I was aiming for Chollerford tomorrow, they were aiming for Hexham, almost 20 miles away! They weren't planning to visit any of the forts on the way though, which I thought was a shame, but then again, that's not my holiday! I'd walked 12.2 miles today, and was planning to do a couple more tomorrow. I did have a 20 mile stretch planned in a few more days where there was less to see & do. I ended up having an early night, and after a short chat about Vindolanda with a gentleman in the dorm room, I slept soundly, only being woken up in the middle of the night by torrential rain on the window. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be muddy!