Hadrian's Wall Path: Walking into History

By Jane V. Blanchard

Wouldn't you love to go on an adventure and find that it was more than what you expected? That’s what happened to Jane V. Blanchard when she walked the Hadrian’s Wall Path, and what she wants to share with you in the this book. Join her as she walks eighty-four miles across northern England, explore the sites and legends associated with this historical wall, and see if you too can journey back with her to the time of the Romans, the Brigantes (powerful Celtic British tribes) and the Picts (ferocious Celtic Scottish tribes).

Whether you enjoy trekking or armchair-adventures, Hadrian's Wall Path: Walking into History is an exciting journey. This book from the "Woman on Her Way" series takes you along the ancient Roman frontier between England and Scotland. Explore this World Heritage Site with more than 130 full-color photos and illustrations that display the majesty of ancient Roman engineering and the beauty of the Cumbrian and Northumberlain landscapes. Learn what Roman life was like more than 2000 years ago. Enjoy walking along this imposing monument with Jane V. Blanchard as she describes in a heartfelt way, the terrain, the culture, the challenges, and her personal growth and changes.

* Discover Hadrian’s Wall, what it encompasses, then and now.
* Learn about Roman life and what it was like living on Rome’s most northern frontier.
* Visualize the beauty of northern England through Jane’s vivid descriptions, photographs, and illustrations.
* Find out about the current English culture and lore.
* Understand why so many people visit sites along the Hadrian’s Wall Path.

"Hadrian's Wall Path: Walking into History" is a finalist for the prestigious 2015 President's Award from the Florida Authors & Publisher's Association.

"Hadrian’s Wall Path: Walking into History is a riveting, well-written chronicle of a hiking adventure across the English countryside. More importantly, it is what Jane Blanchard herself learns, that 'History becomes interesting, and it is coming alive.' Fortunately, she does this for the reader as well. I found the details to be illuminating and thought-provoking, yet simple and to the point. Some highlights of the adventure: Once Brewed, Twice Brewed; Nine Nicks of Thirlwall, King Arthur, “Bogle”, mizzle and all. Highly recommended!.” ~ Maryann Burchell, South Bay Publishing LLC

This is the second book in the "Woman on Her Way" series. These books describe Jane V. Blanchard's adventures on ancient European routes or primitive wilderness trails. Travel with her as she explores new horizons and venture with her into this world's premier historic, scenic, or cultural itineraries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jane V. Blanchard
• Release date: Mar 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311238191

Jane V. Blanchard

Jane V. Blanchard is the author of the award-winning "Woman on Her Way" series. Since retiring in 2011, she has visited sixteen countries by foot and by bicycle and written two books about her wanderings.Jane was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Upon graduation from college, she worked as a travel guide in Madrid, Spain, and cried at her first bullfight. In 1975, she and her husband Dennis lived in a tent in Winchendon, Massachusetts, for six months (until December) while they built a log cabin. After two years of living off-the-grid, they lived a self-sufficient lifestyle on a five-acre “gentleman's” farm.Before moving to Sarasota, Florida, she lived in Hampstead, New Hampshire for twenty-four years, where she raised two children, was a soccer and Odyssey of the Mind coach, and received the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Volunteer of the Year Award in 1996. She enjoyed hiking and biking, and climbed twenty of the forty 4,000-foot mountains in New England.In her fifties, Jane started mountain biking and racing. In 2002, she placed second in the Eastern Fat Tire Association Senior Division. “Even though I was not the fastest competitor, I did attend and complete the majority of that year's races. Just like with the turtle and the hare, slow and consistent wins over fast but sporadic.”When she married in 1974, her husband Dennis and she joked about creating a lifetime of memories to chat about when sitting in their rockers in old age. Now in her late-60s, Jane is still creating memories, experiencing life as fully as possible, and looking forward to a long future. “I have to live long enough to write about all my adventures,” she says.In addition to having adventures, Jane enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Book preview

Hadrian's Wall Path: Walking into History

by Jane V. Blanchard

Hadrian's Wall Path: Walking into History Copyright ©2015 by Jane V. Blanchard.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

There are two printed versions of this book: black in white and full-color. See your favorite online vendor for details.

Published by Jane V. Blanchard by Smashwords

Sarasota, Florida, USA

First Published: March 15, 2015

Revision 1.2 January 19, 2016

Contact information:

Jane V. Blanchard

PO Box 18364

Sarasota Florida FL 34276

Email Contact: [e-mail]

Web page: WalkingIntoHistory.com

Unless otherwise noted, all artwork and photography was created by the author.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents, Roger and Aurela Veilleux. Thank you for teaching me the importance of finding my own path, helping me build confidence through trial and error, guiding me when I strayed, and giving me a love of adventure. I wouldn't be the person I am without you.

Disclaimer

This book describes my experiences on the Hadrian's Wall Path, and reflects my opinion relating to those experiences. I recreated events, locales, and conversations from my memories and notes. In order to maintain a person's or place's anonymity, in some instances I changed the names or altered identifying characteristics and details.

I made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time. I do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Credits

Cover design by Vicki Rollo, Rollo Design, Sarasota, FL

Editing by Liz Coursen, FirstPersonPublications.com

To My Readers

Roads are a record of those who have gone before.... ~ Rebecca Solnit, writer

I walked Hadrian's Wall Path in August, 2013, with my husband, Dennis, as part of a six-month, thirteen-country hiking and biking adventure. Since May of that year, we cycled the Camino Sant Jaume in Spain, walked the Camino Portugués from Lisbon, hiked about one hundred miles on the South West Coast Path from Plymouth to Fowey, and backpacked through England, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.

I carried a 28-lb. backpack and a 7-lb. belly bag, depending on miscellaneous purchases, such as chocolate bars or Principe Cookies—yummy vanilla wafers with chocolate filling. The combined poundage was about 28% of my body weight. Though this is heavier than the recommended 20% or less of body weight, it felt fine to me, especially as my body adjusted to walking with the load. After months of hiking, I had a place for everything in my backpack. Nothing shifted when I walked, and the pack felt as if it were part of me. (For a list of my pack contents, see Appendix D: Packing List).

We chose this path not only because it is one of England's finest walks but also as a means of crossing England on foot, and eventually getting to Europe. Once on the continent, we planned to research sites my father-in-law parachuted into during World War II.

As we planned our trip, I looked forward to the invigorating hike, stunning vistas, archaeological excavations, and to learning more about the cultural heritage for which the United Kingdom (UK) is famous. However, I was completely unprepared for walking into history. For me, Hadrian's Wall Path became a conduit to the ancient Romans, their enemies the Picts, and life almost two thousand years ago. For the first time, history was more than dates, facts, and relics. As I walked The Path, the distinctions between the present and the past blurred. At times, I was walking along with others from an era long ago, entering the forts, and watching for marauders from the north.

I hope that as you read this book, you will come on the journey with me to the northern Roman frontier between England and Scotland and, perhaps, the now and the then.

Legend

The following symbols indicate our direction of travel. Read the icons left to right, top to bottom. The icons above the line represent our direction of travel in the morning. Those below the line, represent our return later in the day.

Walk east

Walk west

Ride bus east

Ride bus west

Taxi west

Train west

For example, the drawing below means we took the bus to a starting point, walked east, and then returned by bus.

About Hadrian's Wall

Turf wall, Stone wall, and Stanegate Road Forts

About Hadrian's Wall

Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.

~ George Fabricius, poet, historian, and archaeologist.

Hadrian's Wall—one of the greatest monuments to the power of the Roman Empire

As I gaze out over grazing sheep and a tranquil landscape, I can only imagine what it must have been like for those ancient troops who patrolled Hadrian's Wall. With twenty-first century synthetics and equipment, I am freezing in the biting wind and cold. There is no enemy attempting to overrun my post and I can evacuate to a comfortable bed and breakfast (B & B) at day's end.

I am walking Hadrian's Wall Path for my pleasure. Until the northern frontier was romanized, soldiers dreaded being stationed at this lonely outpost. They found the weather inhospitable, the locals unwelcoming, and the land barren. Building The Wall denuded the land of trees for use as building supplies and kindle for the mortar kilns, and dragging the quarried stones rutted the earth. It must have been as foreign to these soldiers as going to the moon.

Establishing the northern frontier of the Roman Empire with a wall was politically strategic. Emperor Hadrian believed in peace through strength, consolidation of the Empire rather than expansion, and in the Roman policy of divide and rule. For these reasons, he ordered the construction of a wall that stretched across the width of England from coast to coast. It served not only as a defensive fortification against the Picts - the Scottish barbarians to the north of the wall - but also as a way to limit contact between the local clans on either side of the wall, especially the Brigantes, the most powerful Celtic tribe of northern England. These indigenous tribes had more in common with each other than with Rome. Though the Picts and the Brigantes fought each other, they both battled the Romans. Keeping the clans apart diminished the possibility of their uniting and uprising against the occupying army. To this end, The Wall was successful. The culture on the south side of The Wall became romanized as the soldiers married, raised families, and traded goods from Rome. By contrasting, the Scots of today still continue to identify their clan with surname and tartan.

Although it was a substantial barricade, The Wall was not built to guarantee impenetrability but to provide a way to observe the enemy, signal for help, and delay intruders until the military arrived in defense.

The Wall demonstrated the power, skill, and organization of the Roman military while intimidating its enemies. Imagine how impressive the monumental stonework was to the locals who lived in hovels. Imagine how much in awe they must have been of the army that, in the short span of six years, constructed the eighty-Roman-mile-long wall, erected fifteen to seventeen forts, and built bridges crossing three major rivers. When I think that the Romans accomplished all this using basic tools such as levers and pulleys, wooden-wheeled carts, and manual labor, it's all that more awe inspiring.

Eighteen thousand soldiers from the three Roman legions occupying Britannia moved four million tons of stone to build the imposing structure. Additionally, there is some indication that non-military personnel obtained and moved raw materials such as limestone and water for the mortar, clay, turf, and wood. The Wall was Rome's most expensive building project to date.

Most of the construction was done between April and October. Winter made the turf too weak to handle, the cold temperatures affected the settling of the mortar, and the frozen ground made it difficult to dig the ditches and foundations.

Roman soldiers arose with the first cock's crow and toiled until midafternoon. After taking a bath, they ate and relaxed until it was time for bed. Though the Romans used musical instruments to maneuver soldiers in battle, it is unclear if they sounded taps. Most likely, the soldiers went to bed when the sun went down.

The Roman army, unless under attack, took a day off about every ten days to take part in a sacred festival. The calendar was full of official religious days. Some Romans also participated in the religious rites and festivities associated with the local gods. After the religious services ended, the soldiers enjoyed time off.

Hadrian's vision became an 80-Roman-mile-long project, 8 to 10 feet wide, and 15 feet high. Incorporated into The Wall were eighty milecastles (small forts built approximately a Roman mile apart) and one hundred and fifty- eight turrets—two between each milecastle.

The milecastles varied in size, but generally measured about 50 x 65 feet and housed between twenty and thirty men. Since these fortlets provided a way through The Wall and a passage across the wall ditch, they were a means of monitoring the comings and goings of the local people. Apart from their military purpose, these gates served as customs posts, a way to collect revenue for Rome.

Equally spaced between the milecastles were two twenty-foot-square stone turrets (watch towers or signaling posts) approximately 28 feet high and, most likely, with a