DAY 4 - CHOLLERFORD TO HOUSESTEADS- 17/05/06
We have finally arrived at real Hadrian's Wall country - many well preserved sections of wall, Milecastles, well defined sections of vallum and even a Mithraic Temple at Brocolitia. Twelve walkers arrived at Chollerford by car to start this 10 mile section of the walk. The weather was still good but clouds were developing and it looked like the weather forecast was going to be correct - initially good then much rain later coming from the west. Our first destination was to be the shop at Chesters to get our passports stamped. We arrived just in time to see a company of noisy Roman Legionnaires assembling in the car park - either school children or very small Romans!
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Limestone Corner.
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Near Milecastle 30 at Limestone Corner, the northernmost limit of the wall, we could see how the local geology defeated the engineers. In order to hack these boulders out of the rock to create the ditch, they used wooden wedges, inserted into holes that they'd prepared with metal chisels. They then soaked the wooden wedges with water, and waited for them to swell. This made the rock crack along natural lines and fissures, and they were able to haul out the debris. The whinstone, a hard basalt rock was just too hard. |
Before Milecastle 35 we came across what is said to be a stone burial chamber, reputedly Saxon. This is quite likely as there are Saxon earthworks to the west of Sewingshields Crags. However some members of our group had other suggestions ranging from a Roman foot bath to a Legionnaire's helmet store! |
Saxon burial chamber. |
Mithraic Temple at Brocolitia. |
Before Milecastle 32 we crossed the main road to visit the Mithraic Temple at Brocolitia, early 3rd century and discovered in 1949. As we walked along Sewingshields Crags towards Housesteads the path moved further and further from the road, the wind picked up and the clouds gathered giving us a feeling of what it may have been like for the ancient Romans at this distant outpost of the empire - as long as we ignored the stream of walkers in front and behind us of course! |
Just before Housesteads we walked through Knag Burn Gateway then after passing to the north of the fort walked down the hill towards the shop and car park to wait for the taxi to take the drivers back to get the cars. When the taxi arrived several of us 'helpfully' reminded Russell not to forget his keys - he'll not do that again. When they returned we went to the Three Tuns at Heddon for refreshments, the Robin Hood being shut with no sign of life.
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