Hadrian's Wall and the Lakes

Today our major tourist site was Hadrian's Wall and the section we visited was near two towns called Once Brewed and Twice Brewed. No, I didn't make that up.

Although I've long known that Hadrian's Wall was built across England near the border of Scotland, I've never seriously thought about the origins of the wall. I assumed it was probably either built by the Scots to keep the Brits out or vice versa. Today I found out that it actually dates to the Roman occupation of Britain and was built for a few reasons, but primarily as evidence of Rome's power and to give a clear indication of the northern boundary of the Roman empire.

It just so happens that this week there are special events happening all along Hadrian's Wall and we were able to take some in at the Vindolanda visitor's centre. We stopped at the centre for information about the wall and to learn a bit about the history. We watched a video presentation about the history of the wall but mom and I had to close our eyes a few times as the video was done from the perspective of an eagle flying over the wall and through the forts and towers.

As part of the special events there were people dressed in costume providing samples of food and beauty treatments and information about the cuisine and cosmetics of the Romans. There were also a couple of people with replicas of swords, shields, and armour worn by the Romans. The volunteers are part of a group who do re-enactment of Roman battles so the reproductions were a decent quality and the people had quite a deep knowledge about this time in history.

The man with the swords and shields asked dad if he wanted to try on the gear of a Roman soldier and dad laughed and said in an unconvincing tone that he didn't want to. A couple of, “Go for it!” comments from me and mom and he was geared up and heading outside to learn some battle moves before we explored the fort ruins and a section of the wall.

The guys decided it was important to have somebody pose as a victim to make them look more manly or something. That would be me on the ground.

Remains of a Roman fort.

Excavations at Vindolanda are ongoing and we were able to see a bit of the work being done.

As we watched the excavations we were mystefied by an intermittent, high-pitched whining sound. We finally connected the movement of a particular wheelbarrow with the horrid sound. I was seriously tempted to go find a hardware store and buy the excavation team a can of WD40.

Here's a clip of the whining sound so you can join in our torment. It's the guy in the green.

We explored the ruins but were disappointed to discover that Hadrian's Wall didn't cross in this area. The Romans built the fortress quite a distance from the wall so we jumped back in the car and drove a bit further down the road to finally see a section of the wall.

A lamb exploring the ruins.

We parked the car and hiked up the hill to the remains of the wall. It was hot and sunny and I was wilting. As mom and I waited for dad outside the one-room museum, a man came out of the little gift shop with a popsicle. Mom first noticed the cold treat and when she drew my attention to it I gasped and ran in like a little kid to get one. I really need to stop wondering why people are surprised when they find out how old I am.

Caught acting like a kid.

Going for a walk along the top of the wall.

Shooting a pic from a ledge on the cliff the wall was built along.

Hadrian's Wall.
The grass growing along the top is worn from people walking on it but a sign has been put up telling people to walk beside the wall so this is the point when we hopped off.

Stones places by Roman soldiers... a strange thought.

Small towers were built at regular intervals along the wall - some of the walls and the lower stones of the doorway arches are still in place.

The ancient wall.

Hadrian's Wall along the top of the hill and off into the background.

After finishing our exploration at Hadrian's Wall we continued our drive south into the Lake District. I took a meandering scenic route so mom and dad could see some of the beauty of the area before we reached our bed and breakfast in Keswick (don't ask me why, but it's pronounced KEZ-ick).

The sheep in this country are fearless.

Honister Pass.

Edinburgh and Furry Cattle

Today mom and I decided to stop nagging dad to keep moving and just let him wander around and explore a site at his leisure. He tends to linger over every display and information board and he could easily spend eight hours at one stately home. He's fascinated by details and how things work – these are things I've picked up from him, but definitely to a lesser degree. My parents requested a whirlwind tour of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England; my primary role as organizer of this trip is to keep them moving, as much as I hate being the one to do all the poking and prodding. I reserved all of our B&Bs in advance as I knew that would give us a destination each evening – a sure way to keep us moving. Dad admits that if I hadn't booked the accommodation, he'd likely still be exploring castles in Ireland.

The only thing on the schedule for today was exploring Edinburgh. We started off at a small market and enjoyed burgers from a stall run by a meat shop called Well Hung and Tender. I laughed. They even sell t.shirts.

Proof that yes, it's a real company name.

We walked up the steep hill (don't worry, mom, I'm not telling that story) to Edinburgh Castle and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. Dad was able to wander around as long as he wanted and even pulled out his binoculars to study the gravestones in the dog cemetery as we weren't able to get close enough to read all of them.

The centuries-old paving stones through the castle grounds.

Recreated jail.

Etching on a wall in the jail.

Group of French guys in kilts and wigs.

Dad examining the gravestones in a dog cemetery used from 1837 - 1901.

Headstones in the dog cemetery:
"Winkle - Loyal and Faithful Friend"
"Gyp - Crown Room Dog"
"In Memory of Little Tim"
"Yum Yum - This Stone is Erected in Loving Memory of their Truest Friend"

In this tiny room, on June 15, 1566, Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her only child, Prince James, who later became King of Scots and in 1603 became King of England.

Fireplace in the Great Hall.

A wedding was held at the castle and this piper played as the bride, her family, and the wedding party arrived. Dramatic and impressive.

Mom and dad at the top of a flight of steps trying to figure out how to get to the next site.

Edinburgh is covered in these narrow alleys running up and down the hill.

Encountered this view as we walked down a hill - not sure of the names of the arch or the church, but I liked the scene.

Edinburgh Castle at the top of the hill with a park at the foot.

Yes, I made my parents do this.
No, they didn't put up a fight.

In the evening we went on a tour called The Real Mary King's Close – it's an opportunity to go on a tour of streets and buildings underground in Edinburgh. The buildings used to be five or six stories tall, but they knocked down the top few levels and built government buildings on top of the lower levels, leaving the original streets intact. The tour was quite well done and they've won awards such as Oddity of the Year (2004) and Best Visitor Experience (2008). Our tour guide cracked cheesy jokes but took his job seriously, explaining the history in both and interesting and entertaining way, but he didn't take his job so seriously that you felt sorry for him. My favourite thing was when he did things to scare people in the group – hilarious to see a bunch of college guys scream like girls in the dimly lit underground.

As we drove to our B&B south of Edinburgh we saw a field with Highland Cattle so we stopped and shot some photos of this comical, ancient breed.

Yes, Scotland has a lot of Castles

First stop of the day was Eilean Donan, a castle perched on a rocky outcropping in a loch. The castle was rebuilt in the 1930's – I prefer ruins or original old castles, but the location was beautiful and we still had a fun time exploring.

As we approached Eilean Donan we stopped to take some photos...

...well, mom and I took photos, but dad checked out the pile of traps.

At the top of this narrow staircase was a small seat with a tiny window looking out over the loch. An ideal spot for a good book, mug of hot chocolate, and cozy blanket on a cold winter day.

Dad found a guy in a kilt carrying around a sword so he stopped and chatted for a while about Scottish warfare. Dad hid his excitement quite well when the guy let him try swinging the sword around.

My dad is curious about pretty much everything, and I love it, but it means I'm continually pushing and prodding to keep him moving so we don't just spend a week at one castle.

First time hearing bagpipes in Scotland!

Today we had plenty more driving, but instead of overcast skies and occasional rainfall, we had bright sun and I ended up with a slightly sunburned right arm... hopefully I can balance out my left arm so I don't end up with a trucker's tan.

Near the end of our day we stopped at Balmoral Castle, the countryside getaway for the British royal family. Only one large room is set up as a museum and open to the public – the rest of the house is kept private. We were quite disappointed by this and found the property to be beautiful but overall the visit was a little boring. It isn't a place I would recommend people go out of their way to visit unless they're obsessed by the royal family and swoon to think that Prince William has walked the same ground they're walking.

Balmoral Castle.

Balmoral has red squirrels, a rare animal over here, but putting a red squirrel on a sign just makes it look evil.

Where royal feet have trod.

Balmoral Castle.

Tonight we're staying at one of the most beautiful B&Bs I've ever stayed at. Our rooms are huge, clean, and beautiful. We have two sitting rooms to choose from and the breakfast menu is ridiculously extensive. (Their website doesn't do the place justice.) We're staying at Gilmore House in Blairgowrie, a small town north of Edinburgh. We'll be spending the day in Edinburgh tomorrow but I didn't want to stay right in town due to higher room rates. I almost feel guilty paying such low room rates here.

Dad enjoying one of our sitting rooms.

I found this design on a Kleenex box last October and I've bought it a couple of times since then. It made me smile to see it in my room at the B&B tonight.