Scotland England and the Wall: Off to Newcastle

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Off to Newcastle

We loved Edinburgh and were sorry to move on. It is a city I could easily live it.

We were up early this morning and took the train the Newcastle. It was a great train ride through the country side, a good deal of it along the coast.

We didn't see much of the city but headed out to Walls End where our hotel is located.

I always tell Shelley that I always judge hotels by the information and advice they provide their clientle. For example a hotel with a sign by the tub which says "Please make sure the shower curtain is inside the tub before turning on shower". is usually an indicator that the hotel is on the lower end of the chain. The hotel we are staying is has a notice in the room which asks that guests do not "...set off the fire extinguishers in the room" Do you think that indicates this is a bit of a party hotel?

We met up with the others on this Hadrian Wall walk early afternoon. A couple from Ottawa, a woman from New York City, the guide and his son and us.

We head out after breakfast in the morning. We walk 25 km tomorrow. A piece of cake.

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Hadrian's Wall Background

Hadrian's Wall was built following a visit by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD. He was quite concerned about raiders from the north. The Roman's were experiencing military difficulties in Britain and he was eager to impose order. He also most likely saw the building of such an impressive wall as a symbol of Roman power in occupied Britain. It was constructed to keep Roman Britain safe from hostile attacks from the Picts. It took somewhere between four to six years to complete.

It was the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire at that time. The wall stretches from Newcastle, Wallsend-on-Tyne in the east to Bowness on the Solway Firth in the west.

The wall was 73 miles or 117 kilometres long, about 8 to10 feet wide, and 15 feet high. In addition to the wall, the Romans built a system of small forts called milecastles which housed by 60 men every Roman mile along its entire length, with smaller towers every 1/3 mile. Sixteen larger forts holding from 500 to 1000 troops were built into the wall, with large gates on the north face. To the south of the wall the Romans dug a wide ditch called a vallum with six foot high earth banks.

The width and height of Hadrian's Wall was dependent on whatever construction materials which were available nearby. East of River Irthing the wall was made from squared stone and measured 3 metres (9.7 ft) wide and five to six metres (16–20 ft) high, while west of the river the wall was made from turf and measured 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) high. This does not include the wall's ditches, berms and forts. The central section measured eight Roman feet wide (7.8 ft or 2.4 m) on a 10-foot (3.0 m) base. Some parts of this section of the wall survive to a height of 7 or 8 feet