A long day of travel today - Katharine and I took the train to Newcastle, and a second train onwards to Hexham, in the Tyne valley. Just an hour to look round the beautiful abbey there, before boarding the Hadrian's Wall Bus (service no AD122!) for visits to the Roman forts at Chesters and Housesteads.
Chesters is situated beside the North Tyne River, and there are fascinating remains of the lower parts of the walls of a variety buildings, making the layout of a typical Roman fort quite straightforward to understand.
On the site there is also an excellent museum filled with a variety of relics from the Roman period in this area, with altars, memorial stones, inscriptions from buildings, and mileposts.
This shot shows a few of the many altars and memorial stones there.
Chesters is a very special place - pleasantly gentle and beautiful landscape and a really tranquil feel to the place.
Sorry for the lateness of our post - we haven't been back from out trip for very long!
I've walked along part of the wall, shown my classes scripts of the Vindolonda letters discovered there but never realised there was a museum. Must pay a visit next time we're up north
Great detail in your shot. We visited the museum as part of a days outing many years ago when our daughter did it for a history project. I think think that was the day when the rain was horizontal. The Roman soldiers must have found it very hostile at times.
Thank you Richard - Hadrian's Wall has fascinated me for a long time, with the Romans completing the wall faster than we could get planning permission! There are so many Roman artifacts at the various sites on the wall, and in museums in Newcastle and Carlisle, and they give such an insight into the ideas of the Romans.
Thank you Margaret - the wall is a fascinating place to walk. I would love to do the whole Hadrian's Wall walk and see and enjoy all the history along the way. We didn't get to Vindolanda this time, but we would love to go there again. Excavations there continue to reveal fascinating insights into the site.
Thank you Julia, glad you like it.
Ian
Thank you Cathie - it was a long day, but well worth the effort!
Ian
Thank you Richard - Hadrian's Wall has fascinated me for a long time, with the Romans completing the wall faster than we could get planning permission! There are so many Roman artifacts at the various sites on the wall, and in museums in Newcastle and Carlisle, and they give such an insight into the ideas of the Romans.
Ian
Thank you Tony - in the meantime we will continue to provide you with views of the places that we visit!
Ian
Thank you Brian, glad you like it!
Ian
Thank you Margaret - the wall is a fascinating place to walk. I would love to do the whole Hadrian's Wall walk and see and enjoy all the history along the way. We didn't get to Vindolanda this time, but we would love to go there again. Excavations there continue to reveal fascinating insights into the site.
Ian
Thank you Dianne - it was a long day, but well worth it to visit such fascinating places!
Ian
Thank you Hazel - I love the displays of carved stones here, and the amazing thing is that much of the collection was put together by one man!
Ian
Thank you Therese - such a lovely little museum with so many fascinating carved stones to see!
Ian
Thank you Lynne - it was a fascinating collection in this museum.
Ian
Thank you Ferry, it was a lovely little museum, and the collection was mainly the work of one man.
Ian
Thank you Bob, it was a fascinating place to visit.
Ian