We are spending this weekend with Madeleine and Scott. It’s ages since we have been away together! The weather for the weekend is going to be good so we are hoping to visit sites along the Roman Wall with them. We had a pleasant journey up, and Madeleine and Scott had just arrived before us and were setting up. We left them to it, got set up ourselves and had lunch. The site is made up of grass pitches with fantastic views over the hills.
We had a good catch up on family news when we got together for tea later in the day and made our plans for tomorrow.
After a good night’s sleep, we set off to visit the Roman Army Museum. We were lucky because, when we arrived, there was a tour starting to give information about the Magna Fort that had once stood on the nearby field. Very little remains of the original Magna Fort but the guide explained the undulations in the landscape which showed where parts of it were located. I missed some of the information as we stood in the field as there were a group of calves there which began to create a circle around the tour group which was a bit disconcerting especially for the guide! The Vindolanda Trust has just been given permission to start digging at the Magna Fort site as archaeologists are concerned that changes in climate are now affecting the temperature of the peat bogs underground which could result in oxygen damaging potentially valuable artefacts. Potentially this site could be as important as that at Vindolanda.
We then went into the Roman Army Museum which Kevin and I have visited before. There is a 3D film which recreates the Magna fort in all of it’s glory and tells a story of what it was like to be a Roman soldier along the Roman Wall. It really brings history to life. I found the museum to be really accessible for all ages with lots of artefacts and reconstructions of life in Roman times. It is a really excellent museum. After our visit, we returned to the campsite so that Madeleine and Scott could see to their two pugs which we couldn’t take to the museum. The weather has been very warm today so their caravan would have been hot. We went to our own vans to have lunch and agreed to meet later for a walk.
After lunch, we drove to the Steel Rigg car park and walked to the Sycamore Gap which we have never visited before. A solitary sycamore tree lies in a dip between two sections of Hadrian’s Wall and is a popular spot for tourists to visit. The walk from Steel Rigg is very steep however we discovered a flatter route back after reaching the tree. Kevin and Scott ventured up the hill at the side of the sycamore but Madeleine and I took a rest about halfway up as it was very steep. The beautiful weather left us all with some stunning photos. We returned to the van for a ‘siesta’ and it was my turn to make tea. Another lovely day spent together - good company, good food and outstanding scenery!
We have the luxury of going home tomorrow so headed to Vindolanda on another beautiful day. Again, we were in time for the tour of what is a very big site and an incredible discovery. Archaeological digs take place every year here and much has been learned about the Romans and their time in Northumberland. The most famous and significant find occurred in March 1973 when more than 700 thin wooded written tablets were discovered. These are the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain and tell historians much about daily life in the fort at Vindolanda. One of the most famous is a birthday invitation written in Latin by a woman.
The guide told us all about the different sections of the fort however it was the most recent archaeological digs that have surprised archaeologists and historians. Two years ago, fragments of a Christian chalice or cup were discovered amongst the rubble in a building now known to be a 5th or 6th Century early Christian church. This has been a very exciting discovery as it proves that there was a settlement long after the Romans had left the fort at Vindolanda. This is a relatively unfamiliar period of British History and work continues to investigate what else lies beneath the ground of the church. Symbols on chalice would be recognisable in a Christian church today and include signs of the cross, fish and angels.
The museum is superb and holds lots of artefacts discovered at the site including many different types of shoes for all ages and sexes as well as weapons, blacksmith and carpentry equipment, pottery and personal items including combs and jewellery. Kevin and I have visited Vindolanda at least a couple of times together as well as when we were children but there is always something else to learn. We all found it engaging and are planning to visit Housesteads and The Chesters another time when we are together.
After our afternoon ‘siesta’, I made us Sunday lunch and then we retired to our own vans after our busy day. Back home tomorrow but what a great weekend we’ve had together!