Tymon Burghy

Do you remember that section of Hadrian’s Wall that I mentioned where General Wades’ army didn’t touch because the terrain was too rough? After hiking it, I understand. 

The day started out at Simonburn Tea Rooms, after I grabbed breakfast and received the gift of sunscreen from the hostess I packed my bags and got back in the host’s car to be taken back to Chollerford. The host offered to drop me off further up the road a bit, but I was set to walk the full path and I didn’t want to miss a single step so I kindly let him know that where he picked me up was great.

I then set out on my way cresting the first hill. My next stamp was just up ahead, Chesters Roman Fort. When I arrived at the fort it was locked up, and wouldn’t open for another couple of hours. I found the stamp box and continued on the path. Once the path left the roadside, it turned to gravel and dirt and continued west. I came across more and more intact parts of the wall. The morning fog with the rolling hills and bits of the wall lead to an unforgettable scene, one that in the moment I neglected to photograph. I continued on up the path and after a bit, another hiker came into view. I kept seeing them just ahead of me and then they would disappear over a hill or around a turn. Every now and then they would stop and take pictures with their DSLR, which meant that I was able to make my way up the trail and eventually catch up with them. As I passed, I introduced myself and we got to chatting as we walked along the path. Nikolai was from Sweden and was living in London and was a successful lawyer there. After a bit of chatting, we reached an area along the trail with a parking lot and a small coffee truck. We grabbed a coffee and a tea and kept chatting for a minute, taking a break on the trail. I’ve noticed in my adventures that people who are walking the same trail as you are always friendly. Nikolai and I instantly connected over our shared struggle of tackling the wall path. After the short break, we made our way to another site along the route, the temple of Mithras. This little stone structure was erected by the Roman soldiers and citizens who lived along the wall. I walked into the footprint of the old temple and saw in it an offertory stand, which 2000 years ago would hold food, denari, craftwork, and other offerings to Mithras. Today the stand is filled with coins left by travellers for a blessing of luck on their trek. We continued on along the English countryside. 

Nikolai and I entered Northumbria National Park, a large expanse of beautiful hills, crags, and water features. As we crested the first hill of the ridgeline where the wall sits, we could look over the ridge and see the grey line of the wall run across the top of the ridge as far as the eye could see. That’s when my new friend first uttered the word that would be on our lips for the rest of the day… “Wow.” He then raised his camera and began capturing the moment. We marched on across the ridgeline and the grey stones that formed the backbone of the ridgeline. 2000 years ago Hadrian’s Wall stood around 4.5m (15ft) but today what remains is lucky to be a third of that height. I can only imagine what it would’ve looked like towering over the crags and hills when the Romans occupied the Wall. To the north of the wall, looking towards Scotland, the Romans had cleared the forest for 10 miles out so that they could see any attacking armies as they approached. You can look out over the wall and see the farmland that now occupies the land of the ancient forest and imagine the barbarian hordes approaching the wall.

We climbed up and down the steep slopes following the stones until we reached Housesteads’ Roman fort, where we stopped for a quick break and sat on what I can only assume is a grass-covered walkway part of the wall. Housesteads was the next stop on my stamp book, although I didn’t stop to visit the fort too much. I had too much walking to do that day. 

We set off again and after a bit more “wow,” we ended up at the centre of the wall, the middle of the trek: Sycamore Gap. A tree that has grown in a valley that is almost perfectly the geographic centre of the wall. This sycamore tree is actually quite famous, it is “the Robinhood Tree,” having been featured in the film Robinhood Prince of Thieves. Nikolai decided that he would come back in the evening as the sun went down and get some pictures of the gap with the sunset behind it. He posted the photo later and it was absolutely stunning.

After Sycamore Gap we took a detour to a little brewery and inn just off the path. We arrived at Twice-Brewed which bears a funny name is where soldiers building the military road took a rest and needed a stronger beer after a long day’s work so they brewed it twice. Down the road is an area that became a tea-totalling (prohibiting alcohol) town so the beer that was at Twice-Brewed made the journey through Once-Brewed – the town’s name – even more refreshing at the end. Twice-Brewed is where Nikolai was ending his journey for the day. He split the distance that I was doing that day in half and would finish it the next day. We enjoyed a pint of twice-brewed beer together and I went along my way to finish out my day.

Now on my own, I needed to make up for lost time, which meant fewer pictures and less stopping for breaks unless I absolutely needed to. Scaling the remaining hills and crags proved to be quite the task as the steep climbs turned into vertical scrambles. On a water break over Winshields Crag, I looked out over the land, realising that I was at the highest point along the wall, I let loose the word of the day, this time it was so heartfelt. “Wow” doesn’t even start to describe how I felt when looking over the land. I continued on and after a bit, I left the hills and crags and followed the inverted acorns towards Gilsland.

5 o’clock came around and my time to check into my B&B came closer and I was still far out. I called the B&B and let the hostess know that I would be late. She told me that check-in was at 7 and I had plenty of time to get to the hotel. She also told me that I had a dinner slot scheduled at a nearby restaurant for half past 7 through the travel company I had booked with. She offered to call and get it rescheduled and hung up. I kept walking and checking my map to make sure I was going the right way.

I slowly made my way towards the B&B along the trail. After a bit I realised that I wouldn’t make the reservation, I was a couple miles out and the reservation was coming up quickly. As I arrived to the B&B I looked at my watch and saw that I had missed my reservation. I got to the B&B and the hostess told me that very few people manage to walk from Chollerford to Gilsland in one day. She said that most people end up calling a taxi as they get closer to Gilsland. The hostess then informed me that I looked very flush as I had emptied my water bottle a few miles earlier. She gave me a glass litre bottle and checked me in and told me to come down once I was rehydrated and showered. I was told “I don’t want to see you down here unless that bottle is empty.” I did as I was told and drank the water and got cleaned up. I returned downstairs where the hostess had prepared some food for me. 

This day was definitely the most intense of the days of my walking but definitely the one most worth the effort. 66/102

Special thanks to Nikolai for being my walking buddy 🙂