Off my Beaten Track in Reiver country…

…again.  In February I took you to Brampton, so join me today as I take a stroll along Hadrian's Wall and visit Vindolanda.  I'm doing all things Roman for a change…

Friday, 17th

From my base at Clarks Hill Farm it's a short drive to the Wall.  No, not the Wall of George R R Martin's imagination, but the real stone wall of Emperor Hadrian.  Born in Spain in 76AD, he became Emperor at the age of 41 in 117 and he remained in power until his death at the age of 62 in July 138.  He was responsible for a number of building projects and various military victories during his lifetime, but the one thing I want to see today is his wall.

Stretching 73 miles, from coast to coast, it was built to keep out the marauding barbarians from the north and to protect the most northern frontier of the Roman Empire.  The wall took about six years to build and is thought to have been constructed between 122 and 128.  Built of stone and wood it was constructed by skilled Roman soldiers and local auxiliaries recruited along the way.  It was common in the Roman army to use men who had a secondary skill, and when you consider that being in the army got you regular pay and vittles, it's not so surprising that the Roman army was probably one of the very first ethnically diverse organisations.  I have to wonder if they had HR targets to meet or had to complete ethnicity questionnaires every so often…
There is a footpath that follows the route of the wall and as you follow it you see that there are regular forts every mile or so.  This was a vast project undertaken at a time when there was only man-, horse- and oxen-power available.  I guess you have to give the army something to do once it's done all its conquering!
Lunch today is beside the wall.  If you read my last post (check it out Here) you'll remember I found a fabulous shop in Brampton.  Yep, I couldn't resist going back and today the food on the hoof is another slice of Ullswater pie.  Scrumptious!
Lunch over and it's a short trip down the road to Vindolanda.  This is a working archaeological site.  It was originally an auxiliary fort and excavations thus far indicate that it was under Roman occupation from 85 AD until 370 AD and during that time it was subject to various changes, rebuilds and new additions.  I have a guided tour booked and for an hour I find myself subsumed into a life of roman work, rest and play.  As I follow my guide I'm very much aware that the feet of Roman legionaries have traversed the paths I'm following.

The site has been under excavation since the 1930's and there's a vast quantity of artefacts that have been uncovered - from tiny shards of pottery to complete pieces of footware, jewellery and much, much more.  My guide tells me about the excavation of the ancient local rubbish dump.  It was here that in the 1970's one of the most valuable finds was made - vast quantities of the remnants of wafer thin wooden tablets that had been inscribed with carbon-based inks.  They all date to the 1^st and 2^nd centuries and record the communications of those living at the fort.  You read about someone being invited to a party or a soldier's request for more supplies.  There are military matters discussed on some of the tablets and there are just the general day-to-day notes passed between friends, family, employees and others.  I guess when you can't text or email, you just have to write, don't you?  The tablets are housed at the British Museum in London, but there is a fascinating selection here at Vindolanda.
After a long day, I make my way back to my campsite.  I know there is something just as interesting waiting for me there.  In life, there are some things that are completely free; you just have to be there to see them.  I know that there will be another fabulous sunset this evening and I will be out there with my camera to capture it.

If you enjoyed this little jaunt, you might also like other #OffMyBeatenTrack posts.

You can find me in Sicily  and  Verona