Bowl

Another day of exploring Hadrian's Wall. I'm all ready for bed, after a couple of forts (Chesters and Houseteads) and a fairly decent bit of walking. It's been great! I love this bit of holidays, when I can wear the same things for a few days, when being a bit sweaty is expected at the end of the day, when sturdy shoes and waterproofs are normal.

Chesters and Housesteads are both forts built by the Romans when the wall was an active defence point in the landscape. Today they are ruins, stone outlining the land. They remind me that not matter how solid a house may feel, it is only ever going to be a temporary shelter from the outside that is waiting to come in. The stones show where the walls and doors were, the plaques explain that some uses are only hypothesised, others are only known because of the building norms of the day. But it is all very interesting to see, although I always find myself trying to do that TV thing of imagining a digitally created image of the old days.

As I walked back to the hostel, the light was incredible, as rain threatened. I had the reassurance of being entirely coated in waterproof clothing, and could take my time and enjoy the views.