HADRIAN’S WALL
On the 11th of February, eight excited OGers and five equally excited Second Formers set off from City to go in a minibus to Hadrian’s Wall with Mr Jones and Mr Ellis-Rees.
The wall was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to mark the north-western border of the empire and to keep out Scottish barbarians.
It took us the whole day to get there. We stopped in York for lunch and a visit to the mighty York Minster.
We arrived at the Twice Brewed Inn in Northumberland at 9pm. There we had a scrumptious dinner before going to bed.
We got up the next morning for a delicious breakfast, before visiting Milecastle 42. There is a milecastle every Roman mile along the wall, but many of them are not visible anymore, mostly due to stones being taken for construction.
After that we walked along the wall with Mr Ellis-Rees, meeting Mr Jones half way, who had parked the minibus at the end of the walk. The walk ended at Housesteads Fort, one of the best preserved left on Hadrian’s Wall.
We then travelled to Hexham to visit the abbey and have lunch.
Next we travelled to Newcastle, to find to our disappointment that the Museum of Antiquities was closed. Fortunately, though, we did not have to go all the way back to the inn because we went to the Metro Centre in Gateshead. There, following a dinner at Pizza Hut, we went on dodgems and we went bowling, which was great fun.
The next day, after breakfast, we walked another section of the wall. The views were fantastic: we could see for miles.
After a lunch of sandwiches, bought the previous day, we visited more Roman ruins.
After that we travelled to Holy Island. Holy Island is reachable by vehicle at low tide. It is located off the Northumberland coast near the Scottish border.
We arrived there after a long minibus journey to find the abbey ruins were closed! Despite this, we still enjoyed the sea and the scenery on the island.
We started off the next day by going to the Great North Museum in Newcastle, where there was a model of Hadrian’s Wall which took up the length of a large room.
We then did our last walk. Over the days we walked the middle section of the wall.
After a late lunch back at the inn we went to the Metro Centre for another game of bowling. After that, we ate an enjoyable dinner at Frankie & Bennys.
The next day it was the journey home. It took us the whole day, although we did stop in Blackpool at the arcade.
Overall it was a fantastic trip. I’m sure everyone who went on the trip enjoyed it.
Mark Bogod 2A