Backpacking Along Hadrian’s Wall
Dr.Larry Usilton of the History faculty at UNC-Wilmington and Gabriel Barbee, an English and Psychology major, spent fall break backpacking along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, England.  Construction of the Wall was begun by the Roman emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 in an effort to delineate the northern frontier of the empire against the barbarians to the north.  When complete, the Wall stretched intact with fortresses and turrets from one side of England to the other, a distance of about seventy-three miles.  For Usilton and his traveling companion, the adventure began on foot in the large city of Newcastle at Wallsend, the eastern most extremity of the ancient fortification.  As very little of the Wall can be seen between Newcastle and Chollerford, the backpackers spent most of their time following the known course of the Wall through small villages along the B6318 or the Old Military Road.  Here and there small fragments of the Wall appeared along the road in pastures inhabited by sheep, horses, and cattle---just enough to give the two adventurers renewed hope that greater stretches would soon be seen.  All the while, it was necessary to remain vigilant as cars and lorries zoomed by at great speeds forcing the hikers onto the very narrow and oftentimes non-existent shoulders of the road.

Album From Hadrian's Wall

You can contact Dr. Usilton at 910-962-3312

 

 

 

 

 
 
Two days of pounding the pavement and dodging traffic eventually took its toll.  Gabriel developed blisters and had to withdraw leaving Usilton to complete the quest alone.  Some miles beyond Chollerford, he was able to leave the road and ascend to vast stretches of the Wall which extend for miles over undulating terrain.  It was here that the solitary hiker  encountered the most spectacular views of the journey---Housesteads Crags with, perhaps, the most well- preserved  Roman fort in northern Europe, Highshield Crags from whose lofty basalt columns one can view Crag Lough, a beautiful wetland sanctuary frequented by ducks and swans,  Sycamore Gap, made famous by Kevin Costner in his movie about Robin Hood,  and Winshields Crags where, at an elevation of 1132 feet, one has a marvelous view of the surrounding countryside.  
Unfortunately, inclement weather---two days of continuous rain---which rendered the footing along the Wall very treacherous, forced Usilton to abandon the trek in the vicinity of Walltown Crags.  Although disappointed, Usilton has pledged to return to the Wall at some future date to finish the mission.  He is reasonably certain that, after almost two-thousand years, the Wall will still be there.