I. Arbeia ~ located at South Shields; shown
here is a reconstructed Roman fortification gate.
II. Arbeia ~ our first meal on the grassy
grounds there. We are still captured in our 21st century tourist
traveling clothes. The weather here is quite pleasant today.
III. Arbeia ~ Shown here are just some
of the excavated remains of this fort.
IV. Arbeia ~ a model showing the expansion
of the fort and how it once looked.
V. June 20th, our first day of marching along
the River Tyne. We started our adventure at Segedunum, a Cavalry
outpost located today in Wallsend.
VI. Our first encounter with rainy weather
as we finally leave behind the urban setting of Newcastle and begin our
countryside journey along the Hadrian’s Pathway.
VII. June 21st, everyone is now properly outfitted
in their respective Roman outfits. Shown here left to right are Optio
Quintus (Joe Ginnane), Legionary Germanicus (Jeff Lutz) and Legionary Marcus
(Niki Romani), Centurio Marcus (Robert Garbisch), and our Celtic Scout
Galainus (Peter Corless).
VIII. Cool temperatures will accompany us
along most of our journey, as witnessed here with the gathering grey clouds
that blessed us with a smattering of rain drops.
IX. Fortunately, Apollo drove away the grey
clouds to grant us moments of relative sunshine as we paused here to admire
the scenic countryside.
X. A field of golden yellow flowers greeted
here as we descended into this lakeside preserve for the local water fowls.
XI. Due to the heavy rainfall in this area,
we encountered this first of many large mushroom growths along our pathway.
XII. Corbridge ~ shown here is our Quartermaster
Nigel Cole, who organized this journey and made it all possible for us
to enjoy this Roman March adventure.
XIII. But first we have this special TV News
interview to be filmed before continuing on our Roman March adventure on
June 22nd. Today we will experience long spells of misty rain, then
heavy rainfall, even a brief bout with cold sleet falling on us, and gusty
winds to challenge us along our way. Despite these physical setbacks,
for the most part we did have spells of pleasant weather to march in.
Typical English weather! LOL
XIV. At last, our first real encounter with
visible remains of Hadrian’s Wall. Ave Caesar!
XV. A sample of the many interesting artifacts
on display at the Chester Roman Fort museum.
XVI. A real good example of just one of the
many Mile Tower ruins we will encounter along our pathway.
XVII. Altars dedicated to the worship of Mithra,
an important religion for many of the Roman soldiers stationed along this
fortified line.
XVIII. Now the terrain takes on a very hilly
challenge as we encounter the middle sector of Hadrian’s Wall. To
the right of Centurio Marcus is Scotland, as he peers over a very high
cliff over 150 meters above the valley floor.
XIX. Another Mile Tower watch point located
on the high grounds of this hilly sector. Here eight men would be
posted for duty to watch over this part of the Roman Empire.
XX. Here are impressive remains of Hadrian’s
Wall as we approach the Roman Fort located at Housestead.
XXI. Housestead ~ what was once an important
Roman Fort is now a tourist site of ruins.
XXII. Vindolanda ~ here we encountered
a Late Roman Encampment being set up for the public’s entertainment for
the weekend.
XXIII. Vindolanda ~ shown here is a comparison
of the two main styles of Roman Fortification. The sod and wood technique
engineered by Hadrian, and the stone fortification engineered by Severius.
XXIV. Guard duty along this section of the
Wall could be quite tedious and boring at times. Ave Roma Immortalis!
XXV. “Look! Come view the Shire!”, exclaimed
our Celtic Scout.
XXVI. How sad it is to view the desolate remains
of this impressive line of Roman defense. This particular site was
located in the front yard of this Englishman’s farm.
XXVII. An illustrated view of what this Roman
Fort once looked like for many years.
XXVIII. June 25th, our sixth day of continuous
marching along Hadrian’s Wall. At the end of this day’s adventure
we encountered the “Centurion Inn”. Here we enjoyed a nice evening
meal of good food, liquid drinks of the local ale, and fine company to
sursum corda (lift up your hearts).
XXIX. On the road again as we are now approaching
the city of Carlisle.
XXX. Along the way we encountered this unique
Greek/Roman style Library that was being converted into a private residence,
located on the outskirts of Carlisle.
XXXI. At last, we have reached another check
point along Hadrian’s Pathway, this one being located in the city of Carlisle.
XXXII. A well deserved day of R & R for
us after marching for seven challenging days along Hadrian’s Pathway.
Shown here is the impressive Carlisle Castle. Our morning was blessed with
more rain but by midday it had disappeared and we enjoyed some warm sunshine
for the rest of the day.
XXXIII. Well rested now from our time of R
& R at Carlisle, we are now prepared to begin our last day of marching.
For a brief moment we had some sunshine to start with, but this condition
soon changed to the more “normal” weather of cool temperatures and grey
clouds that seem to accompany us for the majority of our adventure.
XXXIV. At last, the end of our journey is
near as we paused here momentarily for the final mile.
XXXV. What a welcoming sight to see as we
finally completed the walking portion of our Roman March adventure along
Hadrian’s Wall.
XXXVI. The final checkpoint of Hadrian’s Pathway
is here at the King’s Arms pub, where one can receive a certificate of
their adventure.