September

Diane

The Sill – Steel Rigg – Peatrigg – Hotbank – Housesteads – Sycamore Gap – Steel Rigg – The Sill.

Very misty at first, but the sun broke through later. Quite warm although occasionally cooled by the breeze.

Diane, Richard, George, Ron, Sandy, Ken, Bernie

Michael and Michelle - away

Ashley - in Thailand

Comments

Evelyn did first part of walk, then left us to do some painting at Steelrigg for a while before returning to the Sill to relax.

The sole of Diane’s shoe came adrift early on and twice required repair using Ken’s micropore tape and Richard’s shoe lace. Richard fell, cracked his tooth, scraped his chin, cut his head and badly bruised his knee. Sandy applied Germoline.

We had our lunch at an old quarry. We sat on comfortably on the edge and enjoyed a great view of Crag Lough. There were cows in the water at Broomlee Lough.

We encountered lots of dogs. Ruby socialised with a Belgian Malinois shepherd dog, but was agitated by something else – a rabbit or an adder perhaps. We had to take a detour to avoid an aggressive cow, which stood up to Ruby.

We set an English couple on the right direction to Sycamore Gap. We spoke to three foreign tourists, who were walking the whole length of Hadrian's Wall, from Greenhead to North Shields via Hexham.

We were shocked and saddened two weeks later when we heard that the Sycamore Gap tree had been maliciously felled. We felt privileged to have been in the presence of this iconic product of nature during its last days. Remembered with fondness.

Wildlife: Swans, flock of fieldfares, lovely horse, cows, black-faced sheep. A cow with a cough at Steelrigg.

Rialto’s, Ponteland. Joined by Dorothy and Evelyn. A bruised and battered Richard also made it.

September walkers minus Bernie

Roman Wall at Steelrigg

Sycamore gap in the mist

Mist lifting over the ridge

Ancient and Modern

Following the Wall

Clear skies over the Wall

In the footsteps of the Romans

Farm and Lough

Through the gate

Richard fixing Diane's trainer