Brains…

September29

You ever have that weird moment where your brain decides to remember a Pauly Shore movie in the middle of meditating? And it isn’t Encino Man but rather the one where he joins the military? Brains are weird.

Walking Hadrian’s Wall – The Summary

September28

empire

It was a good walk! I feel like I got really lucky on weather as it was perfect the entire way apart from a few rain storms and some strong winds. I really like long walks, it is very calming, and you get a lot of time to think. I didn’t use my headphones once the entire week.

Day 1 – 9 Miles in 2 hours 30 minutes
Day 2 – 21 Miles in 5 hours 30 minutes
Day 3 – 18 miles in 5 hours 45 minutes
Day 4 – 15 Miles in 4 hours 45 minutes
Day 5 – 20.5 Miles in 5 hours 45 minutes
Day 6 – 15 Miles in 5 hours

Total? 98.5 miles, the trail is 84 miles so the extra is from getting lost and walking to places to sleep every night.

What do I recommend to navigate Hadrian’s Wall?
Google maps + the map on the Hadrian’s Wall app. Using those two you can get anywhere.

What did I learn?
The Romans were incredible! This video has the highlights :)

What would I do differently?
I could have probably gotten away with packing one less sweater, and one more pair of socks. In Spain when I did a long walk it was very dry, and the UK just keeps your socks pretty soggy. I also recommend getting hiking boots instead of trainers, as i had to use plastic bags since they were not water proof. I think that is the only thing i would change apart from taking a little more time but I needed to be back to work on Monday.

How far did I walk for my week on the camino? I was in better shape, but I walked ~143 miles in 7 days. Of course I also overdid that one, and came away with a sprained ankle for a few weeks. But it was fun and one day I managed to walk 36+ miles.

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Hadrian’s Wall: Day 6 – Completed!

September28

The last day was the toughest, I walked 15 miles and the last 6 I spent limping as my left knee wasn’t handling going down inclines very well, or up them very well either (flat not so well either but at least I could keep a decent limping pace). But, I was going to finish even if I had to drag myself through fields full of lamb shit (luckily it didn’t come to that).

It was perfect weather the entire way, barely any breeze, and surprisingly sunny. There was one path near the end that was extra tough, it disappeared into the salt marches and with my bum knee I had to jump a few fences and scramble a little back to the road a few hundred meters away.

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If I look off in that first picture it is because of the pain.

It was a good walk, summary coming soon!

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Hadrian’s Wall: Day 5

September27

After a fantastic breakfast I was off, day 5 was supposed to be around 17 to 18 miles, but it ended up being a very long 20.5 miles. All the twists and turns of the trail plus the walk to and from the hotels added to the distance. By the end I was pretty shot but made it to Carlisle. I am going to rest the rest of the day as my ankle and knee are pretty stiff at times. Time for an ice bath!

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The first part of the walk was pretty wet, so I made some impromptu waterproof socks with some plastic bags (if you are wondering about that picture).

Tomorrow I have the last day of the walk, hopefully only ~15 miles to the sea :)

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Hadrian’s Wall: Day 4

September25

Day 4 was gorgeous and finally getting into the swing of things! I ended up walking about 14.5 miles. I took it pretty easy today as I had a lot of trouble finding a place to stay, and I didn’t want to walk 25 miles :).

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Hadrian’s Wall: Day 3

September25

Day 3 wasn’t quite as long as day 2, but I still ended up walking over 18 miles. The countryside was amazing, and I had good weather all morning! Late in the walk a strong cold wind came up, and a bit of rain off and on. I walked from Newcastle to Corbridge to a little B&B off the road from Fort Vercovicium.

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Hadrian’s Wall: Day 2

September24

Day two was long, I ended up walking a little under 21 miles. I walked from Newcastle to Corbridge, and I was glad to have beautiful weather and no rain. This is a beautiful part of the country. My feet are pretty sore and I ended up falling asleep in the afternoon once I found a place to stay and got some lunch.

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I didn’t do much planning on my route, I was hoping it was well marked. At times it is well marked, and at times it is confusing as hell. Unfortunately today I kept going when I probably should have turned right, so now I am stuck trying to figure out how to get north a bit. I am doing some reading as it seems like there might be multiple trails and the guide book I have is no help. Google maps doesn’t work for following the trail too well either. I recommend avoiding the book “Hadrian’s Wall Path” by Mark Richards, it is really hard to follow.

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Hadrian’s Wall: Day 1

September23

I am taking a vacation this week to walk Hadrian’s Wall in the UK!

What is Hadrian’s Wall?

Hadrian’s Wall was a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia, begun in 122 AD during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. It ran from the banks of the River Tyne near the North Sea and the Solway Firth on the Irish Sea.

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The path is around 84 miles wrong, I am hoping to finish by Sunday. How did day 1 go? I arrived pretty late in the day so it was a late start. I had a small snafu with the whole east/west thing. I ended up walking around 9 miles in 2.5 hours and made it too Newcastle. The weather was a bit wet, but a good start.

btw, I walked a roman road in Spain in 2013, via de la plata, if you are interested check out the post (day 1, day 2, day 3 and 4, day 5, 6, and 7). I am hoping to do more of it in the future.

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This is bwb’s personal blog, so he can share his thoughts with the world, however scary or silly they might be. Plus family and friends can track what I am up to, and where I am in the world.

I am pretty simple. I love Mangos. I love the ocean (although mostly at sunset, as I’m a ginger). I love to travel, eat exotic food, do long bike rides, read, and use my imagination. At some point, I decided it was better to be a pirate captain than an admiral. I am a globalist and see the entire world as my responsibility and playground. And I am married to an amazing woman who makes life even more fun :)! And we are now the proud parents of Calico Jack :).


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