Another free day in Carlisle so I decided to visit Housesteads, one of the Roman fort museums about halfway along the Wall. My chosen route involved taking a train, a bus, and a 3.5 mile walk along Hadrian’s Wall to get there.
The Sill/Once Brewed > Housesteads, 3.5m
I was sooo excited to see the Wall at last
And right into rollercoaster of cragsand dips. This is the most popular section of the whole HWP so lots of walkers out today
Milecastle 39
Great info on milecastles from a Facebook page I follow
Looking down at Sycamore Gap, this is where the famous “Robin Hood” tree was cut down in 2023
The stump is putting up lots of new shoots but it’s doubtful it’ll be a proper tree again
Such a glorious day! Warm sun, cold breeze, dark clouds, and rain showers! Loved it!
The rolling hills and little lakes were formed by glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. The path is deceptively high here, I saw a helmeted man pop up to the left and he had just scaled up a sheer cliff!
Getting my elevation in today
I ended my sojourn on the HWP just past the copse of trees above as I turned right and descended into Housesteads Roman Fort. It’s set on a surprisingly steep slope so getting an overview photo was impossible so here’s a mishmash of different views:
Last picture first, driving away in the bus I got an quick snap showing the scale of the site
This is what it would have looked like back in the day with the walled fort and village of soldiers’ families and support industries below.
Hard to imagine as only the most basic foundations are left
Commander’s villa dead center of the fort
Half of a 3-story grain barn with ventilation and under floor heating(!). Grains/bread was a huge part of the diet of the 800 soldiers here
There was a tiny museum behind the ticket office, which included a good short film on the buildings within the fort, ie. barracks, hospital, etc. I think I sat through it 5(?) times while waiting for the rain/hail showers to pass and my bus to come 🙂
A great day out! A perfect introduction to the Wall. Now I know what I have to look forward to for the next week of walking. Tomorrow I’m on the move, changing accommodation each night, as I walk east from Carlisle.
