Tuesday, July 7 2026
Today was a little strange as I had two completely separate interests that pulled me halfway across England and then back west again in Scotland.
The first was Hadrian’s Wall which was the main focus of the day. When it was constructed, starting in 122 AD, it must have been a magnificent sight. In most places the wall was about 12 feet (1.6 m) tall and 8 feet (2.4 m) thick. In addition, there was a series of forts, each manned by about 600 soldiers, for defense and regular milecastles and turrets manned by less than a dozen soldiers to control border crossings. It stretched a distance of 73 miles (118 Km) from coast to coast across what is now northern England. Unlike Pompei and Ephesus which were preserved due to being buried, Hadrian’s Wall was exposed to the harsh weather and winds over centuries and was largely destroyed as its stones were removed to build roads, paths and buildings in more recent times. It has almost disappeared in the more accessible places and is in ruins even on the hilly, difficult to pillage sections. I visited Housesteads Roman Fort which is, arguably, the best preserved section. From the air the outline of the fort is clear as day. The northern side is at the lower left of the image with the wall extending from the upper left corner of the fort and along the tree line in the lower left.
Unfortunately, from ground level only the footings of buildings can be seen. There are guides and information boards with sketches to help visitors visualize the likely shape and size of the original structures.
One can imagine the number of soldiers living here by the size of the fort’s supplies building below.
The image below shows the thickness of Hadrian’s wall where it meets the corner of the fort.
My second stop was at the Lockerbie Remembrance Garden paying tribute to the 270 people that lost their lives in the bombing of PanAm flight 103 on December 21, 1988.
The garden is situated in a special section of the city’s fascinating cemetery.
I finished the day with dinner at the Granary pub in Dumfries. This is a large pub and, when I walked in, I discovered it was almost completely full with at least 200 people. The Argentina-Egypt World Cup game was on the TVs and had just finished. I assumed that was why it was so full but I could not have been more wrong. I found one, small free table and went to the bar to order a drink and meal when all of the TVs switched to a grid of numbered squares and a very calm Scottish voice started calling out numbers. Two people left, the rest were there to play bingo.
198 for bingo..! Must have been good prizes… did you join in?
That was strange. Everyone was very low key and quiet murmuring seemed to be the highest level of excitement for the 45 minutes I was there. I have no idea what the prizes were or how to join the game.
Glad you visited the Lockerbie memorial. I thought it was a very moving place. We were on a BA flight to Florida at exactly the time of the attach. There was a very interesting series of documentaries on the way the local community reached out to the passengers’ families on the BBC a couple of years ago. I can’t find it on BBC iPlayer at the moment but well worth watching if you can find them on the web.
I thought it was very fitting. Small, but represented the bond between the victims on the plane and on the ground. I’ve not seen the documentary but have read about how the people of Lockerbie supported bereaved families visiting the crash site and the long term friendships that developed. Well worth a visit.
Love the bingo story!
It was surreal. Instead of noisy football supporters it turned out to be a quite gathering of bingo fans.
Loved this post! I now have an interest in seeing the Hadrian’s wall in person. It made think of the Game of Thrones and the ‘White / Ice’ wall which was built to keep the White walkers out. I wonder whether Hadrian’s Wall was the inspiration.
So glad you visited the Lockerbie garden. What a lively way to remember those who lost their lives. They emerge every year as flowers.
Thankyou, Steve. Living vicariously through you
Thanks. I had long wanted to visit Hadrian’s Wall and, although I knew it was just ruins, it was revealing just how organised the Roman Empire was in comparison with the “barbarians” the wall was intended to keep out. It was windy and wet while I was there and I wonder if the Roman soldiers building and manning it viewed it as a hardship posting.
Lockerbie was serene and thought provoking.
Thanks for joining me on the journey.
Build the Wall! Throughout history emperor’s spent huge sums of money to keep the “Barbarians” out( to this day)
As they say – More things change- more they remain the same.
Good observations. Leaders always seem to think they know better than the past.
Thank you, Steve. I’m just catching up with your travels, and as always, I’m envious. What a forlorn location for the Roman soldiers posted so far north! I too have Lockerbie memories. A family from my school in London went down on the plane right at Christmas, so dreadfully sad. I appreciate seeing the memorial garden there.
Sorry to hear about the loss at your school on PanAm 103. News of that horror made a big impact on me and I wanted to pay my respects.