Roaming with Romans
Embark on a tour of Hadrian’s Wall with Ancient Britain, a local enterprise transporting visitors back almost two thousand years to a time when these lands were divided, and cultures collided.
It is just after sunrise on a fresh morning in the heart of the Northumberland National Park. Stirring Skylarks fill the soundscape as a pair of migratory geese patrol a calm pool of water. Rising sharply above the water’s edge are the sheer crags of the mighty Whin Sill. Here the quarried landscape reveals the jagged dolerite bedrock which was ingeniously used by Emperor Hadrian as the foundation for his great wall.
Our journey back in time begins at Cawfields, one of the highest standing stretches of Hadrian’s Wall and the atmospheric starting point for one of Ancient Britain’s Roam with Romans tours. Steaming pots of coffee positioned on tables overlooking the water draw today’s inquisitive group of visitors from their cars. We are greeted by our tour guide, who is impressively dressed for the occasion. From leather studded shoes, to woollen tartan breaches, to a gold torc fashioned around his neck; we soon learn this is not Kevin Robson’s usual Saturday morning attire, he is in fact sporting authentic 2nd century dress, depicting a Celtic warrior who would have lived in a tribal community north of the Wall. His assistant, Bernie, carries weapons typically used by Roman legionnaires stationed here to protect the empire’s wild north-west perimeter.
Once Kevin is satisfied that our freshly caffeinated brains are suitably alert, he rewinds the clock back to 122AD and delves deep into a fascinating history of the Roman Empire, the motivations behind the Emporer’s 73-mile barrier, and the process of building the wall. The construction would have been quite an ordeal for the conscripted Latin-speaking builders. But they clearly did a comprehensive job. Almost two millennia later parts of the ancient masonry are still in remarkably good condition. Not satisfied with simply a great wall, at every Roman Mile Hadrian erected chunky milecastles and a pair of smaller turrets positioned between each. One of the best-preserved Milecastes is an early landmark of the tour. It is known simply as Milecastle 42 and was likely to have been built by the Second Legion.
Leaving Cawfields, Kevin leads our group across the dividing line to the south side of the frontier, the side of ‘civilization’. We soon reach the fort foundations of Milecastle 42 protruding from the wall. We are marched up the nearby limestone stack of Cawfield Crag for a better perspective and the group look down in awe at how the wall and adjoining fortifications have seemingly morphed into a permanent feature of the rugged landscape.
Now perched on foundation stones within the steadfast walls of Milecastle 42, we scan the perimeter as our guide sets a visually stimulating scene of what the living conditions were like for the Roman Soldiers once stationed in this fort.
We learn about the people who would have travelled thousands of miles from all corners of the empire to settle here and across wider Northumberland. From Tungrians from modern Belgium, to Asturians from north-west Spain, to Hamians who were distinguished archers from Syria, it was certainly a melting pot of cultures. For those who had journeyed from one extreme edge of the empire to the other, home must have felt very far away indeed. Even today, with the purple mass of the Pennines looming in the south, dark clouds massing above, and vast expanses of rugged farmland to the north, it feels like a remote spot. Looking out at the view to the north there is a realisation amongst the group that we are in fact gazing at the same countryside that those manning the watchtowers would have done all those years ago.
We continue our march in the footsteps of legionnaires, following the path of the wall as it snakes ahead of us into the misty dawn air. The sheer cliffs of Windshield Crags provide an ominous backdrop as Kevin and Bernie pause to recreate a typical 2nd century warfare scene, each wielding respective weaponry typically used by Romans and Celts. The tactics were brutal and the warriors from both sides, merciless. It seems each reenactment and scintillating tale instils a deeper connection between our group and the rich history of the landscapes on which we trod - we are all beginning to view the surrounding scenes in a new light.
We may only be an hours footslog from Cawfields, but the ups and downs of the roller coaster hills are already sapping our legs. Our group breathes a sigh of relief as we climb down from the elevated stretch of whin sill and make a beeline towards a rather impressive ditch that Bernie has been excited to show us all morning. ‘The Vallum’ is a massive earthwork which was constructed shortly after Hadrian’s Wall itself and runs along the entire length of the frontier, except between Newcastle and Wallsend. Measuring 10-feet-deep and 20-feet-across with two mounds built on either side; the actual purpose of it remains unclear, but archaeologists speculate that it may have marked the southern boundary of the Roman militarised zone. Much like modern day border control, civilian access would have been closely controlled and traders transporting goods across the frontier would have been checked and their commodities taxed. Bernie tells us that whatever the purpose of the Vallum was, it soon lost its function - the mounds were cut through and the ditch filled in regular intervals some 20 - 30 years later. However, in long stretches, the earthwork remains perfectly intact. Once you know what you are looking at, you can’t miss it. It is such an obvious and impressive feature of the landscape that many visitors commonly mistake the earthwork to be remnants of the wall itself.
We follow the line of the great ditch along more gently undulating plains back to our starting point. The more forgiving terrain allows our guides to spark a discussion about the many ways Roman influence informs our existence today. From toilets to currency, language, art and construction, the Romans left behind much more than piles of stones.
As our tour comes to an end, Kevin is already giving us enthusiastic inspiration for which section of the wall we should explore next. He points us in the direction of Housesteads Roman Fort, a settlement once home to 800 infantrymen and apparently the best-preserved of its kind anywhere in the world. “If you go, I promise you will be there all afternoon. There is so much to see, the clifftop barracks, granaries, a pre-historic hospital, there is even an ancient long-drop latrine to look at!”
Read the full story in This Is Northumberland 2023.
