The Blogg had a marvelous week end in Northumbria-quite like this side of the Border but on a grander scale-and for all the attractions of the Merse, Hadrian's wall is not one of them. Huttonian and the wife decided to concentrate on one small strech of the Wall where it is besr preserved and where the scenery is spectacular. The image above shows the remains of a Roman fort-called Nick's Fort not because it was built by a Centurion Nickus Maximus but because it was sited in a nick in the hills-I am quoting the guide book -honestly. Some of the natural features on this bit are so daunting in themselves that the extra defence provided by the wall seems almost unnecessary. Another major problem facing the barbarians in any assault on the Pax Romana (in February anyhow) is the mud. It is horrendous sucking the boots of your feat -its fine on the wall itself -the Romans did that for us-but just to the north on the Pictish side its Somme like. And after rain (ie always) the steps created by the National Trust are quite lethal uneven, slippery and very steep. More images to follow idc.

The Hutton Think Tank (Drains and Archaeology Section) unearthed what they believed to be a Roman wall possibly contemporaneous to Hadrian's but much further north. Recent research has shown that this was an early bus shelter situated on the upper Hutton Paxton road. It is old but probably not Roman being constructed in about 1965. Excavations have unearthed some contemporary fag ends(Capstan and Senior Service) but no coins.  ¶ 12:53 PM