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!

2023 England and Scotland - Day #8 - to Corbridge

A long day of hiking...

Up very early, Tom, Ana-Marie, Sharon and I had breakfast at the lodge. Both Sharon and I both had omelets.

On the trail a little after 8 am, we headed towards Heddon-on-the-Wall. Sharon and I ended up spliting up from Tom and Anna-Marie as we climbed. We passed through a golf course that made both Sharon and I wish that we had a chance to play on this trip. We took a long break at a very cool section of the board wall waiting from Tom and Anna-Marie.

Once Tom and Anna-Marie got there, Sharon and I decided to take off separately. It was a long six miles from Heddon-on-the-Wall to the Robin Hood Inn. It was almost 2 pm by the time we got there. I regretted not having my hiking poles; parts of the trail were very uneven.

For lunch at the Robin Hood Inn, I had a beef wrap, while Sharon had a lamb burger. After lunch, we stamped our Hadrian's Wall Path passports.

With Tom and Anna-Marie almost an hour behind us, Sharon decided to take an Uber into Corbridge. I hiked the last seven miles by myself. Dropping away from the wall path, I dropped almost 700 feet in three plus miles. I hiked down some country lanes through some beautiful English countryside.

It was after 5 pm by the time I got to the hotel. We are spending one night at The Angel of Corbridge.

The four of us finished the day with a leisurely dinner at the Inn. Sharon and Tom started with a Pork & Sage Scotch Egg [Apple Sauce]. Tom, Sharon and I all had Rolled Pork Belly [Tenderstern Brocolli, Black Pudding Mash, Cider Jus] as a main. After dinner, I crashed hard.

2023 England and Scotland - Day #6 - To Newcastle Upon Tyne

Tom, Anna-Marie, Sharon and I had breakfast at the 23 St. Mary's Guest House Bed and Breakfast. I had pancakes, while Sharon had an omelet.

After I dragged the bags down four flights of stairs, we took an Uber to the train station. The four of us caught a 10:30 am train from York to Newcastle Upon Tyne. It was an easy uneventful trip. The wireless was actually better than the nicer train on the trip from London to York.

In Newcastle, we pulled the luggage to the hotel; it was right around the corner from the train station. We are staying one night at the Indigo Hotel. The four of us dropped all of our bags.

We caught an Uber to the Roman Fort Segedunum. We had a little bit of a kerfuffle trying to find somewhere to eat lunch; we should have eaten around the hotel. We ended up at Sizzling Pubs on High Street near the Fort (burger and a wrap).


Afer exploring the museum and fort grounds, we hiked Hardian's Wall Way back to the hotel. We covered about 5.8 miles in two hours and twenty-four minutes. We screwed up a little and weren't carrying enough water and other supplies. We didn't make it back to the hotel until after 5:30 pm.



We finished the night with dinner at My Delhi. Putting her super power to good use, Sharon found a very nice restaurant. Tom had wanted Indian food. Sharon had the Railway Station Lamb Curry, while I had South Indian Fish Curry. We added Dum Pulao Rice, Plain Naan and a Indian Salad.