Hadrian's - Day 1 - Carlisle

I apologize for the length of this post. It's as long as my day was.

Bacon, poached eggs and mushrooms

Wallsend B&B

It says "Let's have a proper brew". I say, "Let's!"

I got up this morning to clouds and wind, wind, wind (at least it’s at my back), and the first of many full English fry-ups for breakfast. I was able to modify it somewhat on the menu they gave me last night, leaving off the baked beans and cooked tomato. The only downside is the same group of 6 women from the pub are in the dining room too. I really don’t know how they are going to survive this walk. If I were a betting person I would wager there will be much disintegration among the group as the days go on. Amazingly, they did all make it to the breakfast room on time. I marveled at the difference in conversation and lack of comradery among this group compared to my Spititual Sister Sojourners and my true sister. They’ve made it clear they are not believers. I’ve prayed for them and their journey ahead. It will be a long one.

The greatest thing this morning is I don't have to schlep my luggage on and off trains and buses until I reach the end of this walk in 10 days. I do have to lug it up and down stairs at all the inns though. I have my daypack ready with water, snacks, first-aid kit, rain gear and passport/wallet, ready to begin this next epic adventure. So very excited!

You can see the wind whipping those trees around.

Here's a look at the map and elevation for the entire walk. Doesn't that look fun???

And here’s today’s journey. 

Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle

Made this trip yesterday by bus, today it's by foot, much more to my liking. It looks like a lot of up and down but notice it's only about 50' from lowest to highest. But I felt all those ups and downs!

A brown sign on the side of a white-washed building pointed to the start of the trail at the Banks Promenade. 

A closeup of the sign. This turns out to be a detour solely to direct walkers under the covered archway that marks the start of the trail. 

The tide is still way out.

The beginning of the trail is somewhat inconspicuous. Down a small lane off the main road, there is a gazebo that marks the start of the trail with a small sign. On one side it welcomes end-of-trail hikers to the finishing point, for me it marks the start. The daunting words etched into the wooden sign in regal red lettering state, maybe a bit too matter-of-factly “Wallsend 84 miles”. Underneath, a little more encouragingly “Good luck go with you”. I prefer knowing God goes with me.

After the obligatory first-day-of-school-esque photo, I make my way along the narrow set path to a lovely early morning view of the Solway Firth estuary.

If you have purchased a Hadrian’s Wall Passport (or were provided one by your walking tour company as I was), there is a small stamping station located at the start of the trail.

 Unfortunately, it has been recently (last day or so) vandalized and there is no stamp. 😞 I was so disappointed!

I’m not expecting any kind of fanfare obviously, but somehow this feels a bit lackluster. I pass an elderly lady out walking her dog through the gazebo. She smiles as I amble past. Not even a “good luck”? I guess locals see hikers every day and I'm just another crazy person walking the width of the country in 10 days or less, when you can drive it in an hour or so. I have noticed that the locals aren't real friendly unless you start talking to their dog. Then they perk up and speak kindly.

Many a boot has crossed this mosaic in the floor of the gazebo.

There are beautiful flowers after going through the gazebo.

One of the most beautiful poppies I've ever seen. It was huge.

european columbine

lady's glove

more lady's glove (or foxglove)

common rhododendron

I start walking along the main road out of Bowness. The street is narrow, the village quiet. And the clouds are heavy and grey, looking ominous for my long day ahead. There's no rain in the forecast.  There is a slight wind, and it’s brisk. The temperature is around 48 deg but the wind is making it feel more like 42.

As I was leaving town, a group of about 8 young (20s & 30s maybe) backpackers asked if I could take their picture so they could all be in it. By backpackers I mean they are camping, so they are carrying EVERYTHING in their backpacks. I asked how long they would be on the trail and they said they were doing it in 2 1/2 days. They were walking 26 miles today. I don't think they are doing the full walk, but stopping where the wall stops. Regardless, that's insane!

You can see how close Scotland is across the solway.

The brick houses of Bowness-on-Solway give way to an open road with fields to the right and the Solway estuary to the left. A rickety fence along the narrow grass verge is all that separates me from the adjacent coastline. Other than a few people walking their dogs along the beach, and the odd car whooshing past me, civilization seems far away.

During my walk, the tide was out along the Solway Flats, and I was thrilled that I could see Scotland on the other side of the waterway. After walking through town, the path hugs the road before making some turns into fields and through a few small villages. While this first section of the path is flat, easy, and even scenic in many parts, there aren’t a lot of services. There is a toilet (donation requested) and an honor shed with snacks in Drumburgh (pronounced drumbruff) and a shop at the Glendale Holiday Park.

An old tavern and hotel, this building has a Roman fragment etched into its door frame. It says, "MATRIBUS SUIS MILITE SUIS" which translates, "To their own mother goddesses".

another view of the building

Hadrian’s Wall Walk, being one of the National Trails, is signposted with an acorn symbol. Throughout the hike I’ll follow so many acorns I'll probably begin seeing them in my sleep. 

I can't get over how these ferns just grow out of the walls.

I stayed as far away as I could from this thorny gorse.

first bit of trail off the main road and isn't it lovely?

european dewberry

bugleweed

The trail was filled with wild pink roses.

Port Carlisle is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spot, all that’s remaining from a once bustling village at the end of a historic canal. A hundred feet or so off the shoreline are the remnants of this canal. 

Not long after saying farewell to the backpackers I met a woman parked at the viewing area for the marsh. She had her binoculars and was watching hundreds of one species of bird work their way across the marsh. She was a local and said she had never seen anything like it. She told me about the little chapel at Port Carlisle, and said its just off the path but I must go there. She said it has an honesty shop with tea and water and snacks and beautiful stained glass windows. She had me at stained glass windows, so I took the few extra steps to check it out. The following photos are from the little chapel at Port Carlisle.

I feel certain that she is the one who baked the little treats.

I thought this little prayer card was perfect for me today.

The stained glass windows are not old but are very pretty.

It looks like the sanctuary holds about 16 at two tables and 6 additional chairs.

back on the trail

This honeysuckle smelled so nice. 

An acorn diversion. There were several diversions today making the walk much longer than anticipated. 

And lots of muddy trails. 

The cows are fat and lazy.

I love the chimney caps with their bird/critter cages over them.

When I saw this little house, I thought this must have been a little chapel at one time. 

Then I saw the sign - Chapel House, and in the entry, another honesty shop.

Jo Anne you would have loved these homemade goodies - apricot flapjacks and chocolate drizzled shortbread.

I come to my first pasture of sheep that I must walk through and visions of sheep poo dance in my head.

Yes, we're the ones who made that mess. What are you going to do about it???

The coastal path I follow finally takes me away from the road. With marsh reeds to one side, I am led through a woodland area then across the main road and onto a muddy path skirting fields to Glasson.

I still find it strange to walk through people's farms.

Along the way I met a few people – locals out for a walk – and the sound of birds increase with every step further into the countryside. At Glasson, the clouds part and blue sky shines through (a little bit). 

The clip-clop of horse hooves on the asphalt in the distance and the noble country village houses all around make it feel like stepping back in time. A few vehicles are the only real sign of 21st Century life. I kind of love it.

Through these little villages I find more snack boxes set aside. Honesty boxes next to them for money. They sell bags of crisps, chocolate bars, and there’s even a mini fridge hooked up with ice cold drinks. 

White Olive and Whitrigglees

Love the names

Wild geranium

Drumburgh castle 

this sign should have read "sheep for two miles" that's all I've seen so far

sheep crossing the road to get to the solway

there are many signs like this along the road

If I were traveling by road it would be 12 minles from Bowness to Carlisle. I am not.

ah, there are cows afterall

don't build your house on sinking sand

there were quite a few cyclists today

I'm sure they enjoyed the wind at their backs

almost all of the little villages around this area have a crescent (houses built in a semi-circle)

I keep walking but Carlisle doesn't get any closer and its starting to rain along with the wind. There was no rain in the forecast. But is there ever a day without rain in England?

raining harder

the red post van to go with the red post boxes

laburnum

This is my planned rest stop for my water/snack lunch. It is just over halfway (or at least is should have been)

But it is still raining and I can't find a spot under cover to sit and rest.

aha! I see this little gazebo next to the Greyhound Inn and make a b-line to it just as I see a couple of women doing the same from another direction. We get there about the same time and when I look up I realize it is the women I met on the bus yesterday. Wow! was that just yesterday???

There had been no sign of a public toilet since I left Bowness more than three hours ago. The sign says public toilet. Seriously? 😒

Carlisle is getting closer

The following photos of this St. Michaels church are out of order. I've had so much trouble with my tablet so it is what it is.

I came to another St Michael's church 

This one was manned by a couple of volunteers who latched onto me as soon as I walked in the door to give me a private tour. Hadrian's wall and turrets in this area were built from mud and straw because there is no natural stone here. That's why there is nothing remaining of the wall in this area. They built this church and defensive tower from stone that had been removed from the wall in other areas in the 1300's. It was very interesting but after about 20 minutes I was ready to go. However, when I expressed an interest in the stained glass I was given every imaginable detail about who donated them and those in memory of. He's actually the one who told me how to pronounce Drumburgh (Drumbruff) and said it should be Edinbruff and Pittsbruff. 😆

Burgh is really burruff but they say it so fast it sounds like bruff.

After going through every stained glass window, and there were 11 of them, he started on this wall hanging. He had to go around and explain each block and how it related to the history of Burgh (bruff) on Sands. I finally said well I must be on my way if I'm going to make it to Carlisle today. Then he said it took king Edward a week to get from there to Carlisle. Oh boy!

He told me this door is open and there is a toilet in there. Great! Right after I availed myself of the wonderful public loo above. 

and back to the trail which has gotten muddier with the rain

Yikes! More muddy trail

There is no explaining how incredibly beautiful it is or how peaceful or how much I love doing this. Crazy right?

This tree couldn't decide which way to grow.

What an interesting tree trunk this is. I couldn't help but think how kids would love to play on this. 

I took a photo of this sign because just after I took advantage of the Porta John above, I found all kinds of toilets. 

Sain't Mary's church

Here's a tunnel for you Jo Anne. 

Another diversion

This is a new one. A milk box?

I don't know if you've noticed or not but Carlisle is getting closer. Of course that's by road, not trail. 

The trail is getting muddier and muddier.

Some nice stones to help avoid the mud. 

I had just crossed the most difficult field and now I'm faced with this? These steps were made for someone like Kim with really long legs. They were really deep.

The sign is hard to read but this is sourmilk Bridge. 

Not a bit bothered by all the walkers 

I follow the England coast path for awhile. It was not good. Lots of hidden holes and burns (little streams under the grass clumps that you can't see).

Fox and cubs

Paradise apple

Beware dog walkers, sheep worrying is a criminal offense punishable by death. 

This part of the trail was completely flooded last week. Today it was drier than most of the trail. 

First views of the river eden. 

There seemed to be many steps from this part forward. 

A grid of some sort was put down to help with sliding.

the steps go up and then down

more steps going up and steps going down. 

The trail starts to get a little more industrial on one side, but has the river on the other. I traverse a few more fields before beginning a long riverside trail that will take me the rest of the way.

Dame's violet. These were very fragrant. 

Cow parsley

An old bridge and an older bridge

Entering the park on the edge of Carlisle. 

After being in the wild all day, it was overwhelming to experience the noisy, speeding vehicles. 

Carlisle Castle

In the medieval period, the city walls of Carlisle were linked to the castle defenses to create a continuous barrier. In the Civil War, the walls were in strong enough state to withstand an extended siege. The Royalist defenders were finally induced to surrender by starvation, but Parliamentary troops were never able to pierce the city defenses.

During the '45 Rebellion, Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) held the city briefly, though this time the city walls succumbed to a cannon barrage by the Duke of Cumberland's men. The best remaining parts of the walls can be seen from the car park and gardens below West Walls.

Guarding the southern entrance to the old city walls are the twin towers of The Citadel, designed in 1810 by Thomas Telford to replace a 16th-century fortress guarding the gateway. The towers housed assize (criminal) courts and a gaol (jail). In front of the eastern tower is a statue of the Earl of Lonsdale, who helped finance the towers.

Carlisle is the county town of Cumbria and the only city. Not surprisingly, it is well-supplied with shopping amenities, and the entire center of the town has been made into an attractive pedestrian district.

Also not surprisingly, due to its location near the Scottish border, Carlisle has a long history of conflict. The castle here has been besieged, taken and retaken over the years by both Scottish and English forces. Carlisle Castle was built in 1092 and later acted as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.

Long before Mary's time, the Roman city of Luguvalium stood here. The city was the major supply center for the western end of Hadrian's Wall, and the principal administrative center for the region. Little of the Roman city remains, though some foundations can be seen in the grounds of the Tullie Museum, and artefacts from excavations can be found in the museum itself.

The Brickyard

Market Hall (not impressive)

The Carlisle Cathedral was erected in 1092, but the majority of the present building dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Civil War, but even that cannot detract from the superb east window, one of the best examples of Decorated (Gothic) tracery in England.

Cloisters

Pipes - someone was playing the organ and the sound was quite impressive

The iconic starlight ceiling is a wonder. The face of the virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven (I've never heard her referred to in this way before) takes center stage. There are 16 stars surrounding a sun in each of the 176 panels - except one, which has only 15. Don't ask me???

The east window is one of the finest and largest of its type in the coutry with original 14th century medieval glass.

I really found this first day to be most enjoyable, despite seeing no trace of the famous wall. An easy walk through delightful villages and the charming English countryside is an ideal introduction to what awaits over the next week.

The section that many dread is the long, straight Easton Marsh. These few miles might be a bit dull looking toward the horizon, but the cute sheep along the path and cows in the distance added novelty, which soon became commonplace throughout the walk.

I think the most magical miles of the whole day (and what I've heard is the easiest section of the entire walk) were the Burgh Marshes bordering the Solway Firth. The way through the marshes is a straight tarmac road worthy of the Romans. There are warning signs about the dangers of flooding, the road can be under three meters of water and completely impassible at high tides. At low tides the marshes are dangerous with quicksand and sudden currents. There were a few houses in the distance. It is Britain's first recognized "Area of Outstanding Beauty" and is beautiful in a bleak and understated way that might convince you you're on the edge of the world. This was the landscape of Tolkien or Dickens. Ethereal, slightly desolate but also entrancing with views of the Solway Firth and beyond over the forbidding and forbidden marshes. 

For the Romans, this was indeed the very end of their vast empire.

My lodging tonight is the Crown and Mitre Hotel in Carlisle, this one with Edwardian traits. It's also right next to the Carlisle Cathedral and the other sites mentioned above, which at the end of 20 miles of walking today is a blessing!

I wouldn't stay here again. The carpet is badly stained and the wallpaper is peeling off the walls. The way the red roller shade in the bathroom turns the whole room red makes me feel like I might be in the red-light district. All I really wanted to do after a really long day of walking was to eat a good meal and soak in a hot tub. I did both but the chain on the stopper in the bathtub is broken so I can't get the stopper out to drain the tub. Oh well. Guess they'll have to figure that out tomorrow. 

Before enjoying either of those things I had to walk another 1/2 mile to find the stamping station for my Hadrian's passport. See the missing stamp from Bowness on Solway this morning? Sad face!! 

Seared seabass over potatoes and spinach with capers. It was superb.

It has been an incredibly long and indescribable day! I am very tired; but it's a good tired. My feet are tender from all the pavement walking and I found out my 8 yr old waterproof shoes are no longer waterproof. 

Stats

steps - 44,336

miles - 20

floors - 24

It's 12:45 am and Jo Anne is not here to proof this so please overlook errors of all kinds. I'm too tired to read it again 😑. I just realized several things are missing. I'm having trouble with my tablet so this is probably going to get posted tomorrow. 

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable."

Isaiah 40:28