Hadrians Wall

The number of times I’ve been by the sign pointing to the Wall without taking it is shameful. But finally did today. A freezing day with bitter wind. I took a v brief walk near one of the higher parts. Here the 18th century ‘Military Road’ to facilitate shifting anti-Jacobite force s between Newcastle and Carlisle is actually built on the rubble of the wall. It’s now’s a terrifyingly fast B road. The rocks in foreground were hand hewn to make a ditch on the north side of the wall 2,000 years ago. About a km east of CARRAWBURGH ROMAN FORT AND TEMPLE OF MITHRAS.

I drove on by Wark and Bellingham before rejoining the A68. It was a stunning sunny clear drive all the way to Edinburgh with gritters out in force. There was a definite feel of hope in that golden first-week-of-February light. I could have sworn I saw lambs out of the corner of my eye to black Soay or bigger sheep.