2023 England and Scotland - Day #10 - To Once Brewed

We had a buffet breakfast at the Howard Lodge. Sharon was disappointed in the lodge [it was not good]; in spite of the pictures on the website, it needs to be updated.

Tom, Anna-Marie, Sharon and I left the lodge about 8:40 am. After getting our Hadrian's Walll Passport stamped at the Chesters Roman Fort, Sharon and I pushed ahead of Tom and Anna-Marie.

We stopped and had a sack lunch at Milecastle 34. After lunch, we started into the crags leading to the Homestead Fort. There were several steep down and back up sections.

After initially going by the fort, Sharon and I turned around and got our Hadrian's Wall Passports stamped at the small museum. I was shocked to realize that I had already drank all of the water in my Osprey bladder (70 oz). Sharon decided to wait for Tom; Anna-Marie had caught a bus from the Brocolitia Roman Fort. Tom was about 20 minutes behind us.

I pushed on over a series of crags and past Sycamore Gap. I ended up covering 14 1/2 miles in about six hours and forty minutes. I made the mistake of going too far up the trail to the Steel Rigg carpark and had to back track down the road. I was beat by the time I walked from the path down to the Vallum House.

Tom and Sharon had a small adventure trying to get an Uber or a taxi to from the fort to the lodge. They eventually got a taxi, but it was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

We had a drink in the palor of the lodge. After getting cleaned up, we walked down the road to the The Twice Brewed Inn for dinner. Tom, Sharon and I had POACHED PEAR & the WALNUT SALAD [Mixed Leaf Salad tossed in Red Wine Vinaigrette with Poached Pear and Toasted Walnuts] and LAMB SHANK [Slow Cooked Locally Sourced Lamb Shank served with Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Green Vegetables and a Minted Gravy].

After dinner, we went stargrazing. Following a short slide show, we went to a small planetarium. Even though it was still light at 11 pm, we looked at a few stars after the planetarium show.

By the time, we walked back to the lodge and got to sleep, it was after midnight.

Unfortunately, the evening included some drama which was my fault!