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On Sunday last Carolyn, James, Kelsey and myself drove out to Vindolanda, the Roman fort ruins that are in a state of ongoing excavation. The fort was occupied for 400 years and the excavation has revealed so much about the daily life of the Roman soldiers and their families, especially after a pile of partially burned wooden tablets was uncovered. These small tablets contain notes, letters and shopping lists – everyday communications. It was a glorious sunny day, but quite cold. We meandered through the ruins, then through the excellent museum and finally settled in the cafe before heading out for the hike.
From Vindolanda we hiked up to Hadrian’s wall that was built and defended by the soldiers from the fort. The wall is an impressive 80 miles in length and quite well preserved in this location. I found myself thinking a lot about the 2000 year old landscape and the life of the soldiers. The soldiers were identified by names such as the ‘Fourth cohort of Gauls’ or the ‘Second Cohort of Nervians’ indicating the way that Rome recruited nationals of the different countries under Roman rule. It was all fascinating. If you are at all interested in learning more, check out these websites: http://www.vindolanda.com/ and http://www.vindolanda.com/roman-army-museum.
We walked beside Hadrian’s Wall, stopped for a picnic lunch, and when it was time to head back before the sun went down, diverted onto the Pennine Way which was rather boggy and waterlogged in places. The pictures give some idea of the landscape and the wall. The lone tree is in Sycamore Pass. When the tree dies a new one is planted.
A group of us from the NGC have decided to get into shape by hiking this spring. Next weekend may be a bit too snowy, but you never know – its only Wednesday!
Today, Sunday Feb 11, turned out to be a sunny clear day even though snow showers could have approached from the west. Carolyn met me at the Callerton Parkway metro station around 11 am with her bright blue car and we headed north into the Northumberland National Park. All I can say was the almost 4 hour walk with a break for lunch across a wide open landscape with 360º views at times was fantastic. It was cold, as you will see from Carolyn’s attire, but refreshing and out of the wind warm enough to stop and eat. In the distance to the north the Cheviot hills were covered with a soft layering of snow guarding the border of England and Scotland and to the East the sea on the horizon. The downward walk was very icy and we tramped through muddy pathways at times. The peat across which the path took us is up to 10 metres in depth. The sun stayed out the whole time and by 3.30pm it cast a beautiful soft light over the landscape. Like going on holiday. I don’t normally post all the photos I took, but this time I am posting quite a few. No captions needed.
Today was going to be a walking day with Carolyn from the National Glass Centre. But as she texted to say that she had a cold and I was packed and ready to walk i headed out to Souter Lighthouse just over 5 miles up the coast. It is run by the National Trust, but as it is part of the Coastal Path, the land is accessible by walkers and one only has to pay if viewing the lighthouse complex.
The day was actually gorgeous and perfect, if well wrapped up, for a brisk walk. The walk took me past the National Glass Centre, through the Marina, and along Roker and Seaburn beaches to the cliffs by Whitburn. The beaches are always full of walkers with dogs and children on a Sunday, which is the day I usually put aside for walking.
Not having walked as far as Souter Lighthouse before I had no idea how long it would take. In fact it took 2 hours and 15 minutes which was longer than Google Directions predicted. I did stop to take photos so that made a difference. It seemed like a lot longer than 2 hours and 15 minutes….Thankfully the National Trust run excellent cafe/restaurants and my walk was rewarded with a delicious latté and dairy free cake! I made it just in time to the lighthouse cafe before a rain downpour.
It was a lovely day, although because of only walking 2 miles a day my legs aren’t quite used to an 10 mile hike in one go. Being sick over Christmas and lying down for 3 weeks didn’t help. But as I intend to walk this beautiful northern landscape a lot this year I had to start somewhere. So of course I took photos. Large expanses of sea always produce fantastic cloudscapes on windy days. The warmer start to the day gave way to a colder front on the way home and I did not escape a sleety rain shower.
the crow with a crab leg
people and their dogs – many dogs…
looking toward Seaburn and Whitburn
Lookig back at Roker and Seaburn beaches with Sunderland apartments in the background
Everything relates to the Sunderland harbour lighthouse
Memorials are placed all along the coastal walk
The houses are safely back from the cliffs
These mounds are what are left of rifle ranges from WW1 and 2
From the air they make sense and also show the remains of farming furrows
In the distance the windmill beneath these gorgeous clouds
the 18th century mill is a Grade II listed building and thus protected
Someone made this labrinth that can be seen on google maps
the cliffs are mostly limestone and so have been subject to extensive erosion
I’ve not seen pigeons and gulls together on a seaside rock before
Finally the lighthouse came into view
the drop of rain was a mere hint of the downpour.
beautiful clouds
Fishing is very popular here abouts, and the fishermen get as close to the sea as they can. The tides were low this week I assume because of the moon
Here they are in the landscape
A lone fisherman
Sunderland docks seen from afar – the light appealed
as did these relctions of the harbour railings
the route
This Wednesday we had an assessment of our work to date. Instead of writing about it I am just uploading my personal review that was handed in at the end of the presentation. It was an excellent experience as all of the MA participants are working in very different ways. It will be evident from this review that I’ve been trying glass techniques…fun!
Creative Musings 