26 02 11 Hadrian's Wall

The most popular spot on Hadrian's Wall is probably Steel Rigg, certainly on a nice sunny day during the summer the car park gets packed.
You do see the Wall from the car park so anyone with a disability can enjoy the views without having to clamber anywhere, and you can get a good photograph along to Hotbank.
The fitter visitors can climb up the rock steps to Peel Crags and then follow the remains of Hadrian's Wall along the the Crags to Hotbank Farm, a footpath goes behind the farm and returns to Steel Rigg on a track running parallel to Hadrian's Wall .
You get the Roman view and the 'barbarian' view in one walk, during the summer months you're walking through hay meadows full of buttercups a beautiful sight.

Here's one I took earlier :)

A November day on Castle Gap.

Although you access Winshields Crag from the same Steel Rigg car park, it's never as busy, maybe because you're immediately heading uphill people are put off making the effort.

Winshields Crag is the highest point on Hadrian's Wall and the views are well worth the climb.



The view over Steel Rigg from a little way up Winshields Crag on a blustery autumn day

There's a campsite at Winshields Farm, just to the south of this spot, imagine waking up in your tent on a nice morning and watching the sunrise over Hotbank

17 02 11 Hadrian's Wall

Fog this morning but by 11am a chink of light appeared in the sky.
I set off for Sewingshields Crag, it's ages since I've been there but, just past Caw Gap the light went and I was back to fog.
I pulled into Steel Rigg and decided to have a walk out to see if things would improve.

A sliver of light hits the Castle Crag and I have hopes that things will improve

I decide to walk along to Sycamore Gap, perhaps I can get some dramatic views from the north side of the Wall.

The sun is doing it's best to break through the fog at Scyamore Gap

Hotbank Crag becomes more defined and blue sky shows through at last. With all the rain we've had recently Crag Lough is almost twice the normal size.

No boats during the winter but I could see swans on the Lough.

I was suprised at how many people were about, here one walker comes through Sycamore Gap and starts the climb up Highshields Crag

Walkers crest the rise at Castle Gap and the fog tries to blank out the blue sky

Great to see some sunshine and to get some fresh air and exercise, let's hope we get a lot more of the same in the coming months.

Soon the sun will be rising on the north side of the Wall and that's my favourite time to be out.

I did hear a Lark today and that cheered me immensely.

10 02 11

Beautiful day today, went back to Caerlaverock with a particular photograph in mind.
Thousands of Barnacle Geese but for some reason they just wouldn't follow my instructions and their formation work left a lot to be desired.
Took hundreds of photographs but nothing stood out as being worthy of the Blog so it's back to the archives and Hadrian's Wall.

The view east from a spot above Castle Gap, you can see Crag Lough in the middle of the picture and Hotbank Crag with its misty veil.

                                        

From the same viewpoint as the last photograph but zoomed out to take in more of the landscape, and Hadrian's Wall as it drops down to Castle Gap and the Milecastle remains there.

It was taken before the sun has risen, so the colours are more muted.

As with yesterday's offering these were taken in September 2010.



We've been promised rain tomorrow, give me a chance to go through the 845 photographs I took today , I've a feeling I shall be deleteing 95% of them - thank goodness for digital cameras.

All photographs on this blog are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and may not be used without my written permission.