We have done some great walks in some wonderful places during our adventure, and one of our bucket-list destinations was the walk along Hadrian's Wall, near the border between Scotland and England. This is the story of the four days we did on the walk, and the days either side.
We also wanted to visit here because Chris has family in the area. His mum grew up in a small coal mining village near Newcastle-upon-Tyne called Chopwell, and he still has family there. He has been there a couple of times before, and one of his cousins has been to Australia a couple of times as well. Chris's uncle, his mother's youngest brother, is still living in Chopwell, and it was great to catch up with all of them. They were fabulous hosts on the days either side of the walk.
The Northeast, the home of the Geordies, is a beautiful part of England, and doesn't get the attention of tourists that it deserves. The fantastic weather we had while there just topped off the whole visit.
Hadrian's Wall, England
May 2023
2 Comments
Chris, given it’s your Mum’s birthplace, did you get the sense of strong connection to England as part of this journey, i.e. almost as if Newcastle was your shared homeland? And will this influence who you’ll be supporting during the upcoming Ashes series?
Mmmm, good questions. I’ll answer the easy one first. My cricket allegiance has always, and always will be with Australia. I’ve caught a little of the England team on TV recently, and they seem to have found a couple of good batsmen. Can’t wait for the series to start.
Through Mum there has always been a sense of connection, although she was always happy she emigrated and loved her life in Australia. I grew up in South Gippsland, where the landscape is very similar to the green rolling hills of the North East, so it does feel a bit like home in that regard.