Hadrian’s Wall Hike and Housesteads Roman Fort

We left Keswick and the Lake District this morning for a short trip to Northumberland to hike a portion of Hadrian’s Wall and visit the remains of the 2nd century Roman fort at Housesteads. Roman emperor Hadrian had this 73-mile stone wall built in 122 AD to fortify Roman Britannia from what was then unconquered Caledonia to the north. At every mile of the wall, a castle guarded a gate, and two turrets stood between each castle. Much of that is gone now, but we were able to view the ruins of one of the milecastles. 

Over the centuries, many of the original stones in the 20-foot high wall were carried away by peasants during the post-Rome dark ages for use in other structures. What’s still standing today is only @ 3 feet wide and 3 to 6 feet high. Much of the wall has been covered over by centuries of sod, making it effectively disappear. Luckily, the area we hiked still had a large portion of the wall visible. What is also impressive is that the entire wall was built over a 3-year period by Roman soldiers, not slaves.

Before leaving the Keswick area, we visited the 
5000-year-old Castlerigg Stone Circle








First view of Hadrian's Wall
Aerial view of the ruins of a milecastle


Hadrian's Wall snaking off into the distance

Enjoing the day



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