There and Back

Berwick-upon-Tweed sits at the most northerly tip of Northumberland, just 3 miles from the Scottish Border. A coastal town with four sandy beaches and beautiful riverside walks, Berwick is perfectly situated for a relaxing break and a haven for walkers and cyclists. This peaceful town is a far cry from Berwick's turbulent past; Berwick’s great Elizabethan walls were built to keep invading Scots from entering the town. Apparently, artist L.S. Lowry was a regular visitor to Berwick but I saw no matchstick people on my visit!  There is no doubt that Berwick can claim the distinction of being the Border Town, as it has changed hands between England and Scotland thirteen times. Its history is inextricably tied up with the struggle for the Anglo-Scottish frontier. Berwick, with an English name meaning ‘Corn Farm or trading place’ began as a small settlement in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, in which it remained until the Battle of Carham of 1018 when it was taken by the Sco...

One of our main aims for this holiday was to see some of Hadrian's Wall, and so two days were spent doing just that! Traveling along the A39, we visited, and enjoyed a fair stretch of it. Unfortunately, many of the images were taken during the brightest part of the day and are rather de-saturated. At least some record shots! In A.D. 122 the Emperor Hadrian ordered his soldiers to build a wall between Roman Britain and Scotland. The wall ran from Wallsend in the east to Bowness on the Solway Firth. You can still walk along parts of Hadrian's Wall today. In A.D. 140, the Romans added another wall further north. It's called the Antonine Wall. The area called Steel Rigg is along some of the most scenic sections of Hadrian’s Wall.  Part of the Roman Fort at Birdoswald, with (BELOW), some beautiful scenery nearby.  A few facts about Birdoswald:  Birdoswald was once an area of bog and forest. The Romans had to clear and drain the land before build...