Trekking the Border of the Roman Empire
Hadrian’s Wall is one of the greatest monuments demonstrating the power of the Roman Empire. The wall runs for 73 miles (117 km) and took ten years to complete, originally it was 8 to 10 ft (2.4 to 3 m) wide and 15 ft (4.6 m) high. The Romans invaded and conquered the southern part of Britain and to protect their territory, in AD 122, Emperor Hadrian ordered the wall to be built. It formed the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire. The end of Roman Britain came after barbarian invasions across the German frontier in AD 406. With chaos on its doorstep, Rome abandoned Britain when the government collapsed. In the absence of an effective economy, central control, and wages for the troops, some wall forts may have become centers for local communities. Hadrian’s Wall is now a World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO.
We planned a 7 day hike from the cities of Carlisle to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne along Hadrian’s Wall. Most of the hikers that we encountered along the trail carried only small day packs with snacks and water because accommodation and meals are available throughout. But of course not us, we decided to carry our own camping gear and food.
For the purpose of this multi-day trek, we took enough pre-made food for 6 dinners, 2 lunches, snacks, and breakfast, including a few pancakes, fruit bars, and fresh fruits. We also took 3 containers that could hold 3.5 liters of water to be refilled along the way. Our camping gear included a tent for two, sleeping mats, thermals, and thin synthetic sleeping bags for up to 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) that we purchased for this trip. Sal’s backpack was about 15 kg (33 lbs) and Gisela’s 11 kg (24 lbs). The extra weight was worth carrying as it allowed us to save a significantly amount of money by eating our own food and camping independently in hidden places not far from the trekking trail.
We also got to enjoy and appreciate some warm meals and beers at the local pubs along the way, which are definitely a must for this Britain countryside experience.
We departed on this adventure on September 4, 2014 from the town of Carlisle. The first day we hiked 11 miles on an easy, flat, and pleasant terrain. We had lunch by one of the rivers along this historic trail, crossed several bridges, and felt amazed by the friendly and talkative attitude of the locals we encountered. They all seemed genuinely happy to see us hiking through their lands. The trail is well marked and it goes across different farms of extended green carpets of grass where sheep and cows eat all day long.
Small gates for hikers to open and close as they walk through separate the farms and sections keeping animals enclosed. Around 4 pm we found a hidden area between two farms to set camp. Early in the morning Sal tried to wake Gisela up as he was afraid we would get caught trespassing. Sal thought farmers would come to kick us out with rifles in their hands and Gisela laughed reassuring he should not worry, because we were not in the U.S. We finally decided to sleep a little longer, not even the sheep were awake!
The highlight of our second day was all the different berries along the trail. For a while we had to resist the temptation of tasting them since we were not sure if they were poisonous. But then we saw a local lady picking some of the small blackberries in season to make a pie, we could not stop! This was the great beginning of a feast that would last as many days as we hiked. The small blackberries were so delicious we could not have enough of them. That day we also crossed different bridges, rivers, and even got to see a beautiful waterfall. By the end of the day we had hiked 9 miles, found a camping area close to a river and fell asleep with the sound of the current in the background.
The third and fourth day was strenuous and hilly but probably the most scenic sections of the wall. We hiked 11 and 15 miles, respectively, in those days passing through Northumberland National Park. The remains of Hadrian’s Wall made us think about the unstoppable human effort for control and dominate territory. This is not the first wall we visit during our world trip, the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, and the wall separating Israel and Palestine territories also came to mind. The spectacular silhouette of Hadrian’s Wall by the cliff of the mountains could not erase the melancholic sentiment towards a past that continues to hunt humanity today. All our resources are constantly placed on the goal of dividing not uniting, of taking not sharing, for war not for compromising. So much of what we are today and of the issues we face globally is a consequence of centuries of exploitation, colonization, and military control.
We truly wished Hadrian’s Wall could just have been a remembrance of a past we had overcome, but instead it was vivid proof of the lessons we have not been able to learn. As the voting day for the referendum on Scotland’s independence from Britain was approaching (September 18, 2014), the existence of a peaceful and democratic process of liberation was a sign of hope at the end of the tunnel.
On the fifth and six days, we hiked 12 miles each. The weather was perfectly sunny and without rain during our entire adventure. However, the morning condensation kept the grass wet and the poor conditions of our hiking shoes after almost 2 years of use and extensive traveling could not keep our feet dry and well protected. After days of hiking, our feet had multiple cuts and blisters as a result of walking and being wet for long periods of time. On the fifth night, we calculated that we were closer than anticipated to the end of the route and since finding places to camp was getting harder, we decided to push ourselves to complete the walk and finish a day before planned.
The next morning we were woken by a curious cow licking our tent. The cow’s tongue touching the bright red material of the tent’s cover was both funny and scary. She was probably hungry, but at that point we had been homeless for 700 days and at risk of losing our only shelter. It was difficult to scare her away, the cow was too cute!
We started our last day of the hike early. Multiple cylinders of hay drying out over the golden hills called our attention, the composition looked like a surreal painting. That day we stopped walking at the center of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. After a journey of 70 miles in 6 days, we were walking slowly, limping but with our spirits up. The countryside of Britain is lovely and we could not have asked for better weather and place to be in contact with nature after months of traveling from city to city around Europe. Hadrian’s Wall path is without a doubt a very pleasant experience, maybe you would like to add it to your bucket list? 😉
