I cycle 15 miles from Bowness to Carlisle along the route of Hadrian’s Wall
Hrien’s wall was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrien. Building started around 122 AD. And it was occupied by the Romans for the best part of 300 years. It started at Boness and Soway and ended at a town now called Walls End 4 miles east of Newcastle. It was 73 mi long. With the help of satnav cycle, I’ll be cycling 15 miles from Boness and Sowe to Carlile. It’s not clear why Hrien built a wall. The Romans didn’t normally build walls to guard the frontiers, but Hrien wasn’t looking to expand the empire, and he concentrated on consolidating it. Most people assume the wall’s purpose was for defense. against attack from barbarians, but maybe built for many reasons. To regulate trade, to collect taxes, or separate the various tribes in the region and stop them joining forces. Also, raiding was common in most iron age societies, and it was the most frequent type of warfare. raiders would have to cross the wall, find a target, and then get their plunder back across the wall without alerting the Romans. Whatever the reason for building it, the wall is special because it’s unlike any other Roman frontier. Nowhere else were the defenses so elaborate or monumental in scale. And there is so much archaeology to see in so small an area. The village of Bonesson Sowe is built on the site of the Roman fort Maya. As there’s nothing left of the fort, I’ll start my trip here. Unfortunately, there’s nothing left of Hrien’s wall between Boness and Carile. However, you don’t have to go far to find out what happened to the stone it was built with. This is St. Michael’s Church in Boness and Sway and it was built using stone from Hrien’s wall as there’s no wall or fort to see between Boness and Carlile. Here’s some clips of the roof. This is Carlilele. And in 2017, Carlile Cricket Club commissioned archaeologists to undertake an evaluation for a new cricket pavilion. They discovered a Roman bath house, then the largest known building on Hadrien Walk. When they’re not digging at the site, it’s covered up to preserve it. It was covered up when I was there, but they found some pictures on the internet. The cricket pitch is in the background. Here’s a couple of things that they found. Vaulted tubes and a pair of tweezers. But don’t worry, I’ll find more than tweezers in the next episode.