Welcome back all my Gold and Silver Level Templar Knights. I have been hiking the length of Hadrian’s Wall this week. That is the huge fortification built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to keep out the barbarians from what is now Scotland. Let’s see how I got on during day one!
I left the picturesque medieval town of Corbridge in the northern English county of Northumberland. Corbridge was formerly the Roman city of Coria and evidence of its military past has been uncovered over the years. See my last video for my visit on Monday just gone.
So on Tuesday, I set out along the wall from Corbridge to Chollerford. This day was more about the English scenery than the wall - as there isn’t much of the Roman brickwork left along this stretch. Why?
Because it’s been plundered over the centuries by farmers for their needs, nobles for their castles and bishops for their churches. You have to understand that nobody up until quite recent times thought “maybe we should keep this, there might be a tourism industry one day”.
Nope. In an age of scarcity, the Roman wall was there to be quarried for building materials. In some ways this was a little short sighted. Because conflict between England and Scotland continued down the centuries and I’m sure a whacking great wall might have come in useful every so often.
But maintaining the fabric of the wall and the manpower was way beyond the means of the post-Roman kingdoms that took over after the empire collapsed. I was really struck by how intensively the Romans garrisoned the wall with turrets, milecastles and gateways requiring soldiers from many lands.
In today’s film you won’t see this - but you will in the next film. Evidence of what a busy place Hadrian’s Wall must have been. This was a huge military endeavour. Holding on to Britain was clearly a Roman priority for at least three hundred years until the legions were pulled out.
Enjoy the film today. I start from Corbridge and pass by St Oswald’s church. This dates back to the seventh century AD when Britain had divided up into much smaller warring kingdoms. On the site of this church, King Oswald of Northumbria defeated King Cadwallon in what was traditionally billed as a battle between Christianity (Oswald) and paganism (Cadwallon).
But that’s a massive simplification by later Christian writers. There were Christians and pagans on both sides. More pertinent is that Oswald - later canonised as Saint Oswald - was essentially a Germanic king, an invader strictly speaking. While Cadwallon was a Briton. This is the era that gives rise to the myth of King Arthur.
After my visit to that church, you’ll see I reach a place called Planetrees and - hallelujah - a big stretch of Roman wall. But believe me - it’s nothing compared to what I saw the following day!