Bardon Mill

Well I think that I called it right by getting two segments in yesterday. The weather started out overcast this morning but by 11 am it was full on rain and Gail force winds. I hiked from Gisland back to Birdoswald in 40 minutes and wandered around Birdoswald which is a partly excavated Roman fort and museum. The public transit is very intermittent so I had to be done by 1102 otherwise it was an expensive cab fare or a 2 hour wait. Of course one can only look at stones for so long. By 10:30 it was raining and by 11 it was very windy. I caught the bus to Greenhead where there is a Roman army museum. There unfortunately wasn't enough time to see the museum as the next bus came along at noon. I had to walk 5 mins from the bus stop and was it ever wet. Fortunately I had put on my rain pants. A fellow came into the museum drenched, He had left Once Brewed at 7:30. Up on the Sil he reported that it had been wicked. He had intended on hiking farther but was calling a cab. I told what I had done and he thought that was a good plan. I made on the bus to Vindolanda by 1230 and headed straight to the museum. Lots of Roman knick knacks which had been thrown away between 122 AD and 410AD. They have the largest collection of Roman shoes that I have ever seen. The clay and water create an anaerobic environment parenting things from rotting. They have a large collection of wood/paper writing tablets which has provided alot of insight into Roman life on the frontier.On a rainy day in September it looked like a pretty bleak place to have been stationed. When I got enough of the Knickknacks I headed out to check out the fort but it was still pretty windy and rainy and I gave up. My walk to Once Brewed where I am staying tonight was only a mile and with no sign of a bus I decided to hike. I was pretty soaked by the time that I made it there. I am all dried out now. I got a laundry done and my coat and rain pants are drying in the drying room. These bicyclists who I have been talking to tell me that the rain will be gone by tomorrow which will allow me to complete my last segment on the wall. I will take the bus to Chollerford and walk back to Once Brewed.Read more