Misty mornings

Up for the sunrise, it was foggy at Gilsland and I drove along the Military Road wondering if I'd be doing a fast about turn.

Discussed it with the friend I met up with and we thought that, as we were up anyway we might as well climb up to Cuddys Crag, maybe a bit of height would take us above the fog.

Half way up and we came into a magical morning, mist swirling and moving around so that bits of the way appeared and disappeared in minutes.

Gorgeous light too.

The sun is coming up over Sewingshields Crag and that's as far as it will go to the north before moving back around.

It's been hot, very hot over the last couple of days and it was refreshing to be out in the cool morning air.

Some mornings the display takes your breath away and this was just that sort of morning, not a highly coloured sunrise but the sun diffused with the mist cast a golden glow over the scene.

This view from Cuddys Crag east has to be one of my all time favourites and now matter how many times I go there each one is different. As it got to 6am the sun got swamped with cloud and we put our gear away, a last look over the shoulder and much to my suprise the sky had cleared so it was bright and blue. I dashed back for one last shot.

One other person walking on the Wall this morning but they joined the Pennine Way path at Rapishaw Gap. We could see the person stopping every now and again to take in the scene.

The day has been beautiful, clear skies and sunshine, bet there were some hot walkers on the Hadrian's Wall Trail.

It's unfortunate that there is nowhere to buy refreshments along the Wall between Chollerford and the kiosk at Walltown.

If you're planning to walk make sure you have plenty of water with you and maybe try a sunrise start time, if it was like this morning it will be well worth it.

10th March 2009

A great spring day, sunshine and lovely clouds - perfect day for a walk on Housesteads Crag with my camera.

I park in the 'red box' layby ( just west of Housesteads Fort), left over from those days when there were red telephone boxes, and head up past the restored lime kiln to Cuddy's Crag.

This footpath is part of the Pennine Way as well as a handy access point to Hadrian's wall.

The sheep of Bradley Farm, Cheviot ewe's watch me as I pass, they lamb in April and are being fed on the fells.

The view east from Housesteads is wonderful and on a crisp day like today you can see the line of the Wall as it climbs over the lumps and bumps of Kennel Crags, Kings Hill and onto Sewingshields Crag.

Someone had left a jolly little scarecrow, with green trousers and a straw bonnet, stuck into the ground and I wondered who and why, is it like the gnome who was photographed all over the world? Of course I took his photograph, who could resist that little happy face?

Something else that was in the picture is a white bag of stones, it's been lying in the dip between Cuddy's Crag and Housesteads Crag for a year now and look like a dead sheep. I'm going to see if I can get it moved but don't hold your breath.

The sunshine brought out plenty of visitors to the Fort at Housesteads, I hope it's a sign that we'll get plenty of visitors to our area this year, not just to walk the Hadrian's Wall Path but to visit our Roman sites and museums.

Larks were singing and one of my favourite signs of spring the bright yellow Coltsfoot was flowering as I headed back to the car, it's so nice to be out again.