The Wall in the North

The Wall in the North is a reality. Now before you Game of Thrones fans get too excited, I am not talking about that wall. But in many ways it is similar. I am talking about Hadrian's Wall. Built in the 1st century by Emperor Hadrian to protect the Roman Empire from the wild Picts of the north. This wall ran 73 miles,across England from the North Sea to the Irish Sea (or at least very close to these waters).Small forts and watchtowers were included in the design to occur every mile to prevent raids on settlements of Roman citizens.

While the wall did not prevent raids, it was effective at establishing the presence of Rome in the North. The citizens who lived there discovered that the most effective way to deal with the Picts was economically, not militarily. As the Empire declined, the wall became a gateway for goods to flow from one group to another, helping everyone to survive in the harsh climate.

With the fall of Rome the soldiers and others who lived there stayed. They intermarried with the Picts and the Britons and established farms and villages. Much of the building material came from the wall itself. Many of the stones were used centuries later in the building of Carlisle Castle and the surrounding town.

The wall today is easily accessible from many locations although some of it does run through private land. We chose Housteads because they had an Interpretive visitor center.http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/housesteads-roman-fort-hadrians-wall/

There are also guided and unguided walks along the wall if you just want to see the beautiful if somewhat untamed countryside.