It
is damp with light rain as we board the 685 bus back to Holeyn Hall crossroads;
unfortunately the driver is unused to anyone disembarking there, in the middle
of nowhere, and overshoots the stop by about 100 yards before we point out his
error and he pulls over. Retracing our steps from yesterday we soon reach High
Seat and by 10.15 are back on the Path.
Back
on the Path and back alongside the Military Road which will be our constant
companion for today and most of tomorrow. First we are on the verge, then in fields
adjacent to but below the road level, before emerging into more open field
paths.
Two
hours trudging up and over Harlow Hill, brings us to the Robin Hood at East
Wallhouses where refreshing drinks of tea and beer are purchased and consumed
in the stone floored and wood panelled bar.
The
walk is resumed with the path shifting from fields on one side to those on the
other of the never ending road; either side the stiles and gates intervene
regularly. This section should be labelled the miles of stiles – but at least
we are carrying lighter packs today as we are able to leave most of our
belongings at Corbridge, to where we return tonight. The weather is a
stubbornly persistent rain that varies from spitty-spotty to heavy drizzle and
it is at its heaviest as we complete the two hour march to the Portgate. This
is where the main Roman road north (Dere Street) passed through Hadrian’s Wall
en route from Corbridge to Scotland.
More
importantly it is the site of The Errington Arms and at 2 o’clock after 8½
miles it is time for lunch. Two appropriately (but coincidentally) named Ceasar
salad sandwiches and two pints of beer do the job, and when we emerge 45
minutes later it is blinkingly into relative brightness; dry and with a
freshening breeze.
Rising
through field paths and over vertiginous stiles, good views to the north and
east emerge. A pine plantation provides novelty value to the path for a while
before we go back over the road and into fields of lambs and cows. Past Halton
Shields the terrain flattens out and the sun begins to peep through. By
Planetrees the landscape falls away to the west and, bathed in sunshine,
provides the best aspect of the day.
To
top it all there is a small section of wall showing how, in this section, the 2
metre wall was built on 3 metre foundations (presumed to be a cost saving
measure). After the steep descent the line of the wall heads for Chollorford
but helpfully for us the Path diverts south to follow the minor road towards
Wall.
As
the Path turns back towards Chollorford we continue into the village of Wall
and bravely penetrate the eerie exterior of the Hadrian Hotel. Having completed
our thirteen miles slightly ahead of schedule we have time for a cup of tea and
a cake before crossing the road to the bus stop.
While
waiting for the AD122 ‘Hadrian’s Wall Bus’ we are picked up instead by a random
Arriva bus, whose driver offers us a lift into Hexham. We accept and Pete shows
his appreciation by wetting the floor of his bus; thankfully it’s just water
from a leaking bottle in his bag. Dropped off at Hexham station we improvise a
train journey (one stop) to Corbridge only to discover the station is a good
half mile outside the town. No matter, it’s a lovely evening by now so a short
stroll across the picturesque bridge over the river and into town gets us to
The Wheatsheaf before 7pm.
Tonight’s
evening meals are excellent (beef chilli and smoked haddock – not together
obviously – and a pint) and we finish off with another couple of pints watching
football in the bar before retiring for a well-earned sleep.
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