A walk on the Wall

We owe weegoddess for the inspiration for Sunday's walk: she pointed out to us that we could get much more than face value for our Tesco loyalty points if we traded them in for English Heritage membership. So now we are members, and must take advantage of our membership: where can we walk that will allow us to do this? The Wall, of course. We have several books of walks along and around the Wall, and chose one which started at Heavenfield, climed up over the ridge and down to the North Tyne valley, along the river to Chollerford and then back via Brunton turret and the village of Wall.

The plan was that since this was only a five mile walk, we would then take the car to Chesters, which we have not visited in a long while, and where English Heritage have restored the museum "to its Victorian glory". Somehow, this didn't happen. We were late getting away (last-minute disruption to our holiday plans required urgent phone call), we were later staring to walk (vacuum flask mysteriously leaking coffee throughout durham_rambler's backpack) and when we looked at the length of the walk we had not allowed for the climb down into the Tyne valley and up out again. Down, particularly: the church that sits so innocently in its crown of trees in the photo is actually perched at the top of a long and steep scarp, with a wonderful extensive view dotted with farms and pele towers and sheep, but I'm slower on descents and find them more tiring than the uphill climb.

Despite not making it to Chesters, the overall verdict on the walk was that parts of it were excellent: that long descent towards the river (past the quarry now disused and melting back into the turf), the walk along the river to Chollerford (enlivened by a heron), a picnic lunch perched on the Roman bridge abutment, a detour to Brunton turret. All of these were good, but linked by altogether too much road work, some of it along narrow and busy roads - from Brunton to Wall, particularly, I was disappointed that the establishment of the Hadrian's Wall Path had signposted but not improved the route.

Contrary to what Messrs Gaiman and Vess may have told you, Wall does not bestride the border of fairyland; contrary to what people from the south of England believe, it doesn't mark the Scottish border, either. It isn't even actually on the Wall. But it does have public lavatories which I cannot praise too highly. durham_rambler thought I was praising them too highly. "They're clean," I said. "A door that locks, a seat, paper, working flush, water to wash your hands and paper towels to dry them. What more do you want?" "Hot water." Sybarite! I liked Wall, but we didn't stop to explore; our path led steeply up the hill behind the village, with a bird's-eye view down onto the village green.

Our guide book said there was an Iron Age settlement at the top of the hill, but what I saw was a confusion of boulders and dry stone walls, blackthorn and gorse. Over the stile, through the plantation and across farmland where we saw - well, we're not sure what: a flash of colour and movement and then it was through the hedge and gone - a hare, perhaps, or a fox (yes, I know, nothing like each other. Very well, where we didn't see...)

And back to our starting point, at Heavenfield. Despite being parked on the actual line of the Wall, and having visited two substantial Roman sites, we hadn't actually used our English Heritage passes.