The Journey North. Day 5. Thur 26th Apr 2018
From: At Hadrian’s Wall Camping, Melkridge. To: na Mileage: 0000
The wind had been blowing strong all night. Sufficient to rock the Camper. Here it comes straight in off the North Sea and runs straight across to Newcastle on the East coast with nothing to stop it. Except Mike and Jackie’s camper.
We had intended walking part of the wall again today but thought that given the winds, 37 mph and 5’C a more sensible option might be to visit the Roman Army Museum at Brampton. We are only a half mile from the B6318 and according to Google maps there is a bus stop there. However yesterday’s recce showed no sign of it. Neither could we find info on the AD112 website or from the campsite staff. Every question I asked the staff about the bus met with a “Sorry don’t know”. The lady must have read the look of disbelief in my eyes for she qualified her answers with “We’ve only been here a week”. Up until that point I thought she and hubby, busy moving earth around the site with a rather splendid Land Rover and trailer were the owners. “In that case” I asked “how many ducks do you have on site?” “Seven”. came her immediate reply. “Pity” said I “I was rather hoping you might not miss one, we have plenty of oranges but no duck, what do you think?” “OK by me, we need to reduce the numbers to five, that’s an easily managed number, seven make too much mess”.
Back to the bus….It seems they might well want £9 return for the five mile journey or £12-50 each for a day rider this seemed rather expensive to us. We could tab the 10 mile return and build it into the day walking along the wall but honestly the wind, blowing into our faces for five miles and at such strength was not a pleasing option. We thought we might as well take the camper. All it meant was unhooking from the mains and perhaps leaving some sort of sign to say occupied. “No need,” said the lady “I know you’re there.” Resolved.
We arrived at The Roman Army Museum a little after they opened at 1000hrs. The car park was neigh on empty. I thought ‘Great I can study things in peace’. With that a coach load of junior’s from one of the local schools burst into the reception area. “Good morning boys and girls” I said. “Good morning sir". they all chorused back. That was really great. Brought a smile to my face as well.
The museum, situated off the B6318 at Greenhead is run by a private charitable trust in conjunction with Vindolanda a few miles away. £21 saw us both in the door and enrolled as Roman Auxillaries. We could not be Legionaires as we were not citizens of Rome. We passed a couple of hors here before driving to Vindolanda. This Roman fort and Visus ‘village’ predates Hadrian’s wall AD122-128 slightly North by forty years. This has proved to be one of the Roman world’s most productive archaeological sites. The fact that four or five ‘forts’ were built over on the same site over hundreds of years and the peat has provided archaeologist with numerous rare finds. Wax writing tablets and letters home detailing everything from Military life and requests to party invitations, boxing gloves, found nowhere else in the empire and Chanfron, head armour for a horse. The museum is extensive and as such we needed a break for late lunch half way through the afternoon. We were one of the last visitors to leave the site.
The wind had abated somewhat and it was a clear evening. We were now relocated onto a hardstanding next to the duck pond. We hoped that we might get some walking in tomorrow, the MET seemed promising and so we asked if we might book in for another night. Yes.
