Hadrian's Wall

In AD122 Roman Emperor Hadrian visited the province of Britannia, the northernmost edge of his vast and sprawling empire. Following his visit, an order went out to build a defensive wall along the province's northern border. Hadrian was keen to secure his Empire from raids by neighbouring Pictish tribes. Construction of what became known as Hadrian's Wall took eight years. Upon completion, a remarkable stone and turf structure stretched more than 117 kilometres, coast to coast.

I’ve always wanted to see Hadrian's Wall for myself. As a child, I was fascinated by the concept of building a barrier across an entire nation. On January 2 I finally had my opportunity. While making our way towards Scotland Garry and I spent a night near Hexham, less than five kilometres from Hadrian’s Wall. We naturally made plans for at least one short diversion. My initial research revealed that, conveniently, most of the wall’s best-preserved sections were in the immediate area.

A short drive soon found us passing through rolling countryside where jagged sections of the wall could be seen tracing the skyline of a nearby ridge. We eventually turned off the highway onto a narrow, winding lane. As we crested a low rise we suddenly found ourselves face to face with a broad stone wall snaking boldly across the landscape. The view was breathtaking. A metre-wide wall flowed down a sodden grassy slope and dipped into a small vale before climbing a dramatic, rocky outcrop.

Garry and I parked the car at Steel Rigg and braved a bitter, howling wind to wander a short length of the wall. We walked about 300 metres along a path that follows the Pennine Way up to a ridge overlooking the surrounding farmland. As we stood in the damp grass, surveying this bone-chilling and desolate construction, I couldn’t help but marvel at its presence. Here we were, standing at the very edge of the ancient Roman Empire, witnessing the endurance of history itself.