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Travel || Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian's wall

It’s long been on my English bucket list to visit Hadrian’s Wall. I’m just disappointed that it’s taken me nearly a decade to tick it off my list. But it certainly didn’t disappoint and as I visited it on a blisteringly hot day, I’m sure I had better viewing conditions than a lot of visitors.

A Brief History of Hadrian’s Wall: 

Hadrian’s Wall was built by the Romans in 122 AD, and took an estimated 6 years to build. It ran from the banks of the River Tyne near the North Sea to the Solway Firth on the Irish Sea. Basically it was the Northern border of the Roman Empire in the UK, and was meant to deter the ancient Britons (like the Picts) who lived North of the wall. I basically am just imagining the wall from “Game of Thrones” but with Romans instead of the Watch and Picts instead of Wildings and White Walkers. (In fact, George RR Martin has even admitted it was his inspiration so I’m not too off base. I’m just glad that Northern England isn’t really as cold as it is in ASOIAF)

Today: 

A good portion of the wall is still standing. It’s also a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s the largest Roman artefact anywhere in the world and it runs 73 miles. Dotted along the length of the wall are Roman attractions, museums, forts, milecastles and turrets.

Getting to any carpark where you can walk a section of the wall is clearly signposted from the A69. The signs are marked with a Roman helmet, which personally, I find adorable.

Once we’d parked up, Harold and I raced ahead to be the first to spot the wall. It was a fairly gentle walk from the carpark to a large chunk of the wall; about 1 mile up a fairly gentle incline that was perfectly manageable for Harold’s tiny legs. We passed lots of picnicking families and groups on our way.

Visiting Hadrian’s Wall is free, which I whole-heartedly applaud. I love that everyone in the area has access to it without being worried that they cannot afford to visit this piece of history. One day I’d love to talk a holiday and walk the wall, planning nightly breaks at cute market towns and cooling drinks at idyllic local pubs. I’m pretty sure that Harold would love that holiday too so I’ll definitely have to actualise it one day soon.

approaching hadrians wall
hiking to hadrians wall
harold and i on hadrians wall
me
hadrians wall
harold and i on rocks
Hadrian's wall dancing on Hadrian's wall

Various Outfits details:

Purple Leggings
Black Leggings
Sandals 
Sweatshirt  *my Choose Love sweatshirt is from the Help Refugees project and 100% of the profits help to raise funds and awareness for people caught up in the refugee crisis.
Grey T-shirt 
Raincoat 
Sunglasses 

Have you ever visited Hadrian’s Wall?

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