The Last Days of Sycamore Gap
Walkers at Sycamore Gap
Walk leader | Diane |
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Route | The Sill – Steel Rigg – Peatrigg – Hotbank – Housesteads – Sycamore Gap – Steel Rigg – The Sill. |
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Weather | Very misty at first, but the sun broke through later. Quite warm although occasionally cooled by the breeze. |
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Walkers | Diane, Richard, George, Ron, Sandy, Ken, Bernie |
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Excuses | Michael and Michelle - away Ashley - in Thailand |
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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. |
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Meal | ||||
Rialto’s, Ponteland. Joined by Dorothy and Evelyn. A bruised and battered Richard also made it.
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Photo Gallery |
September walkers minus Bernie |
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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 |