Scotland - Over the Southern Border to Hadrian's Wall

When I knew we were headed to Scotland and I could see how close we would be to Hadrian's Wall, I put that on the list as a "must see".

We drove south from Dunblane on a rainy day, one of the few all rain days, to Carlisle then headed east to Birdoswald Roman Fort.

The visitor center was under construction because we were in the off season by this time, but the grounds were open once we paid our admission.

The wall isn't nearly as high as it once was.  Erosion and the scavenging of stone over the millennia have taken a toll.

It still was impressive though.

"For 300 years, from the second to the fifth centuries, Birdoswald was one of 16 forts built as part of the Hadrian's Wall frontier system.  Today, its defenses are the best preserved of any along the Wall."

[source: "Birdoswald Roman Fort by Tony Wilmott/English Heritage Guidebooks]

You can see the outlines of the fort.

Part of the fort became this farm/manor house in the late 17th century.  There is also evidence that the area was occupied in the Dark Ages after the Romans left.

Huge granary building once occupied this area, elevated off the ground.

A sheep stand on remnants of a wall.

One of the gates with the corners still straight.

The outside of the wall is dressed stone and the interior rubble.

It was worth the trip despite the rain.  It is quite an engineering marvel.  

The guidebook we purchased (quoted above) was a fascinating read for the history of this place.  It's something I'll likely reread too.

Scotland - Save the Galloway Hoard

The day we visited Edinburgh we spent most of the day at the National Museum of Scotland.  Fascinating place with excellent exhibits.  More than we could take in in one day so we focused on the old stuff.

The Galloway Hoard was on display on the main floor.  Read below what the hoard contains.

In order for Scotland to keep ownership of the hoard, a lot of money needs to be raised to pay the finder the market value.  (I think I got that right.)

Nothing is known of the individual who buried this hoard.  It was buried in two stages, likely for safe keeping - like a safe deposit box.  The bars of gold and silver were hammered arm bands, easier to store flat than curved they think.

Look at this gold bird.

A tangle of arm bands.

Silver broochs.

Another brooch, the only one of its kind.

Sorry this photo is lousy, but the vessel is jam-packed with more treasures including fabrics that have survived since the 10th century.

We made a donation to help save the hoard when we were there.  I was going to ask you to help save the hoard but as I looked for the website to link to I found an article that said it had been saved.  Good news.

To read more visit this website

Better photos are there, too.

Tuesday Treasures

SaveSave

Scotland - More Scenes for Your Enjoyment

Still lots more to come, just need the time to post.

Scotland - "Bagging a Munro"

At our orientation to Scotland we learned that climbing the named mountains was quite a sport.  In a pub you could brag that "you bagged a munro" - climbed a mountain.

Dan was keen to do this so did some searching for one easily accessible from our base in Dunblane and a fairly reasonable height.

We put the postal code in the satnav one morning, early, and set off to bag a munro, with the mountain being Schiehallion.

Here was the turn off to the parking lot so the satnav came through.  We arrived early enough to find a parking place.  We had the correct change for the parking sticker and helped out another pair of hikers who did not.  When we returned from our hike we donated our parking sticker to someone who had no change for the parking.

It was a cold day with a mix of sun and clouds and wind.  We were dressed in layers including gloves.  The trees gave way fast to open ground.

I had on my warmest jacket and down vest.  I took off the coat pretty soon as the path started to climb.

The heather was beautiful.

We couldn't see the summit from the trail but not because of the clouds.

We came upon ruins along the trail.

At the early hour there were few hikers on the trail.

Looking back to where we came from.

I made it about a third of the way up before stopping for good, sending Dan ahead.

I had a nice outcropping of rock to sit on and admire the scenery and changing sky.

I found the lichen fascinating.

More and more hikers passed by as I sat there to eat an early lunch.

Dan climbed about 2/3 of the way up before joining me then for lunch and then the walk back to the car.  We timed it right because a light mist started falling.

On the road out we met these sheep.

The hike did not take the whole day so we traveled on to see another spot on our list.