Hadrian's Wall Taxis http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com Taxi Service for Walkers, Cyclists and Tourists in the Hadrian's Wall Area Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:52:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 20% DISCOUNT – HADRIAN’S WALL BUS http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/HadriansWall/article.asp?PageId=3&ArticleId=111 http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/HadriansWall/article.asp?PageId=3&ArticleId=111#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Hadrian's Wall . . . → Read More: 20% DISCOUNT – HADRIAN’S WALL BUS]]> http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/20-discount-hadrians-wall-bus/feed/ 0 Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/06/sycamore-gap-on-hadrians-wall.html http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/06/sycamore-gap-on-hadrians-wall.html#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:26:00 +0000 JoT . . . → Read More: Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall]]>
Sycamore Gap

I wasn't going to write any more blogs fearing that I would end up just repeating myself, as I repeat the bits of Hadrian's Wall I photograph.

However, I'm making an exception today, for Sycamore Gap.

This is an incredibly popular tree, on my website I get more searches for Sycamore Gap than any other part of Hadrian's Wall, so here I am sharing another couple of photographs with you.
The one above was taken at 6 minutes past 5 on the 11th of June, a cloudy start to the day and various commitments meant I hadn't been able to get out, so as evening approached I grabbed the chance to head up onto the Wall.
To be honest I thought there'd be too much shadow from the western slope, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got there to find it was fairly evenly lit.
Cloud were scudding across the sky, it was very windy ( my tripod with camera attached blew over smashing my expensive ND grad filter) but it did make for an interesting sky.


Sunset at Sycamore Gap

That evening the sky started to colour up, still masses of cloud but if the light catches it then it can make a lovely sky.
I left home at 5 past 9 and raced back along to Sycamore Gap, took me slightly longer than I had anticipated (gauging distance has never been one of my strengths) the cloud was fast disappearing but I had time to take this photograph, sunset was 9.45pm and this shot was right as the sun set.
I moved closer to the tree but in that short time, less than a minute, the cloud had gone, so I packed up my tripod, having taken just three photographs, and went back home.
Catch you later.

]]> http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/feeds/5760550739425191796/comments/default 0 Stamping Station at The Banks http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/HadriansWall/article.asp?PageId=3&ArticleId=110 http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/HadriansWall/article.asp?PageId=3&ArticleId=110#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:00:00 +0000 Hadrian's Wall . . . → Read More: Stamping Station at The Banks]]> http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/stamping-station-at-the-banks/feed/ 0 Time for a change http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/05/time-for-change.html http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/05/time-for-change.html#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 15:39:00 +0000 JoT . . . → Read More: Time for a change]]> The blog has been going for more than a year now and I find increasingly that I'm repeating myself.
It's the nature of the area of Hadrian's Wall that I love to photograph that certain areas will come up again and again.I'm not going to stop posting up pictures however I hope you'll join me at http://www.blipfoto.com/JoanThirlaway on this site I'm allowed just one photograph per day which should concentrate the mind a bit, I can also add some text to tell you the wheres and whyfores of the various photographs.
Thankyou for your comments and questions over this last year and I hope you'll enjoy Blipfoto.
Take care
Joan
]]> http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/feeds/8785270729181397136/comments/default 0 Allen Banks – Just off the Wall but oh dear me! http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/05/just-off-wall-but-oh-dear-me.html http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/05/just-off-wall-but-oh-dear-me.html#comments Sat, 01 May 2010 13:50:00 +0000 JoT . . . → Read More: Allen Banks – Just off the Wall but oh dear me!]]> TT picked the venue for our Wednesday outing.
He chose Allen Banks one of the National Trust woodlands very near to Hadrian's Wall, 5½ miles east of Haltwhistle, 3 miles west of Haydon Bridge.
It's a walk through a gorge with towering cliff faces and lots of waymarked trails.
There's a good carpark with a picnic area and toilets.
Straight out of the car park and onto the path alongside the river, but do mind where you put your feet, irresponsible dog owners have been through.

Allen Banks heading towards the suspension Bridge

The Trust has been doing lots of work on this section over the winter months, lots of trees have been felled opening up the canopy and making a brighter pathway.

Waters of the River Allen tumbling along

Masses of wild garlic, tiny white flowered oxalis, a smattering of bluebells and primroses along the way, although the garlic was beginning to wilt a bit without the tree cover to protect it.

Wood Anemone

As we pass further into the Gorge there's a sense of neglect, it's a bit like visiting an elderly relative whose house has that musty, unkempt smell,  a good clean up would make a world of difference.
In some places there has been landslip so the path drops away and you're trying to get down a 2ft drop to continue along the path.

Eventually you come to the smart new bridge at Plankey Mill, it  leads you into the field of cows with their calves and it is a bit rutted but hey that's the country for you.


The new bridge at Plankey Mill

On through the field and we're heading off towards Stawart Peel a medieval Peel Tower standing high above Staward Gorge and the River Allan. The path takes us through woodland, much of it commercially planted conifer wood so the trees are planted in  lines.


Commercial Pine trees

Having said that it's obviously an area teaming with wildlife, the muddy spots had masses of animal tracks and droppings for us to examine and try to identify.

On a less favourable note, it was also teaming with empty beer cans and bottles.


Please take your rubbish home

We followed the track by the river, watching sand martins swoop into nests a mere 18inches above the water, let's hope there's no big rush of water to flood them out.

The paths are well marked and we headed up to the high point and the Peel Tower.

The path to Staward Peel, Ramsons (Allium ursinum) line the path

It's a very steep climb, and whoever built the steps up the path must think we all have 40 inch long legs and knees that bend up to our ears, folk have made thier own track upwards, avoiding these impossible steps, bit of a waste really.
The Tower part of Staward Peel

Eventually we reach the top, looking forward to the 'tremendous views' promised in the walks leaflet, alas these are all obscured by scrubby branches, although maybe as a photographer I'm being a bit picky here.

The best of the "tremendous views" from the top


I was surprised that there wasn't a seat available, it seems the perfect spot to have your sandwiches and a drink. At the moment the only place you could sit is on the stones of the monument.

Then we went back down and headed back to the car park.
The only people we saw were other walkers, most of them over 50, certainly no children, so the plants pulled up and the flowers, like the Toothwort that I had photographed less than an hour before, could only have been snapped off by one of these older walkers.


Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) a parasitic plant, one of the flowers deliberately snapped off by adult walkers.

Is it because the place has that uncared for feel, that people just don't care?

As we got back to the car park we did see a young NT employee doing remedial works and collecting rubbish so all is not lost.

Would I recommend it as an outing for visitors to this area?  
No I wouldn't, and that's a shame, because there is much of interest if only it wasn't all so shabby.
Catch you later.
]]> http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/feeds/944256954891391661/comments/default 0 Up in the mornings and out at night. http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/04/up-in-mornings-and-out-at-night.html http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/04/up-in-mornings-and-out-at-night.html#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:34:00 +0000 JoT . . . → Read More: Up in the mornings and out at night.]]> Getting up at 4.40am at the moment and making a decision whether or not to go out, it's actually a hard call to make as cloud comes and goes quickly so I can get up and get out and before I've got the car off the drive things have changed completely.
Still you have to be out there to get a photograph and at least I'm lucky that I don't have hours to drive to my viewpoints.

Headed off to Steel Rigg a few mornings ago, the weather people kept promising a dramatic sunrise with the volcanic ash, the cloud was patchy so I had high hopes.

Steel Rigg (NY749677)

No one around, just me and the sheep with their lambs.
 I stood looking at the view and watching a patch of cloud build to my left but moving quite quickly to the right.
There's a group of trees near the top of Hotbank Crag and I noticed a light shining through the trees.
My first thought was that another photographer was up there with a red torch, well it was early and I was half asleep, but then I realised it was the sun rising.
And rise it did straight into the patch of thickening cloud, so it goes.
I did get some photographs to share with you, but not the fiery gem I was hoping for.

Steel Rigg (NY752675)

Sunset is another hit and miss afair but it's not as difficult to motivate myself to go out during the evening.
A trip to Walltown is easy and I can be there in minutes. I love wandering about up there, the views are spectacular, right across to Criffel on the Scottish Solway coast, looking over the plain that takes you past Longbyre and Gilsland following the route that Hadrian's Wall takes to the sea.

From Walltown to the sea (NY672662)

While I was up there a family came to enjoy the sunset, of course the first thing they did was stand on the Wall.
 I got chatting and asked them why, they told me it felt like they were walking in the footsteps of the Romans.
Maybe a viewing platform over the Wall, would solve the problem, then I'd complain it was ruining my views of course.

Walltown sunset (NY672662)

There's work ongoing to preserve the Wall, it's done using lime mortar exactly as would have been used in Roman times.
It takes much longer to 'set' and so is covered with tarpaulins, not pretty but necessary.
Heritage Consolidation Ltd, a local company, have been restoring this stretch at Walltown, plus they've cleared out the grass growing on the footings of the Wall and you can see from my photograph how much better that looks.

Walltown Crags

Night before last I picked up my camera and headed off to Housesteads, arriving just as everyone else was leaving. I wanted to get the criss cross bit of the Wall with the lowering sunlight catching the Wall stones.
I'd left home with clear blue skies and arrived to find cloud covering the sun.
Rang home and TT told me it was still clear to the west.
What to do?
Should I stay, or head back west, midges were biting but I could see a clear patch under the cloud.
I decided to wait until the sun dropped below the cloud. 
The sun was much further over than I had anticipated so if I missed my photograph tonight it would  be another 11 months before I got another chance.
In this shot I'm standing up on the only bit of the Wall that you are allowed to walk on, I would have liked to be to the north side of the Wall but couldn't see any way that I could safely get there, oh for the agility of a gazelle.
After 30 minutes the sun broke through and hit the scene in front of me exactly where I wanted it to, for once patience paid off.

Housestead Crag (NY786687)

Before the sun disappeared completely I set off back down the hill, lambs were gamboling, and seemed to be having such fun, don't know why they have such a burst of energy as the sun sets, but it's lovely to see.
Good weekend is forecast - hope you enjoy it.
Catch you later.
]]> http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/feeds/6764269066838502488/comments/default 0 Here and there. http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/04/here-and-there.html http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/04/here-and-there.html#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:56:00 +0000 JoT . . . → Read More: Here and there.]]> Haven't had many long walks lately, it seems like I've dashed out when conditions look good, snapped a few photographs and dashed home again.Sounds like I'm full of busy doesn't it?
But really I'm not, I just don't know where the time goes, one of those 'age' things I suppose.
We've had lovely clouds in deep blue skies, setting Hadrian's Wall off to perfection, and Walltown always does me proud when there are nice clouds to photograph.

Walltown Crags, there were no planes to leave contrails so Mother Nature provided some of her own!

The volcano in Iceland erupting was supposed to bring rich red sunsets and sunrises - so I headed out to Crag Lough thinking the reflected colour in the water would look good.
I arrived early so I climbed up onto Hotbank Crag, one of those bit of Hadrian's Wall that gets the pulse racing, it's a steep climb.
Evening light is hitting the north face of the Wall right now and there's no footpath up to that side.
No, I can't just climb over it, you can see where people have though and scrapped off the lichens with their scrambling. It's got so bad that the Footpaths Officer is getting signs made to put along the trail asking people not to climb on the Wall. Think of all the cloning out that will intail.

Hotbank Crag looking east

There are new boats on Crag Lough, white ones with blue covers, they don't have quite the wow factor the old mahogany boats had but I'd rather have them there than not.

Crag Lough sunset

One of the resident swan's came swimming towards me, I often see them on the Lough but they don't often come within camera range.
Swan on the Lough
It was an okay sunset but not the big dramatic event I'd been hoping for, nice without contrails though.

So to another day and I'm heading out to Caw Gap, this is one place you can get to the north side of the Wall without climbing over it, it's not a particularly easy path but you're on the right side for the light.
The sunset was shaping up to be a bit more of an event than last night had been, I perched myself on a narrow bit of grass, taking care to remember not to step back and don't look down.

North side of Hadrian's Wall at Cawfields

Some lovely colours in the sky and the sun went down as a big ball, as usual I took so many photographs that I haven't had time to go through them all yet.

Sunset from Cawfield Crags

I started to head back down to the car, it would take a bit longer because I had to backtrack almost to Caw Gap to cross through the gap in the Wall and then retrace my steps on the official Hadrian's Wall Path. As often happens, once the sun went down the sky coloured up with a multitude of shades.
The sky over towards Thirlwall Nicks was gorgeous.


Panorama from Cawfield Crags looking towards Thirlwall Nicks.

The views on the way back to the Cawfields Park were a joy to behold and I kept stopping to snap 'just another shot'.
The moon was up by the time I reached the car, a beautiful sliver of a crescent moon with Venus shining bright beneath it.
Yet again I was reminded how lucky I am to have all of this on my doorstep.

Catch you later.

]]> http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/feeds/2038004524414916768/comments/default 0 Walking in Hadrian’s Wall Country http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/walking-in-hadrians-wall-country/ http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/walking-in-hadrians-wall-country/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:00:00 +0000 Hadrian's Wall . . . → Read More: Walking in Hadrian’s Wall Country]]> We are currently revising the very popular booklet published a couple of years ago and would welcome any feedback on the content. The 15 most popular circular walks have been chosen because they take in a historic site, are near places to eat & drink and can be accessed by public transport.

]]> http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/walking-in-hadrians-wall-country/feed/ 0 New Passport Stamp for 2010 http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/new-passport-stamp-for-2010/ http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/new-passport-stamp-for-2010/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Hadrian's Wall . . . → Read More: New Passport Stamp for 2010]]> The National Trail’s Summer Passport season runs once again from the 1st May until the 31st October. This year the popular Passport includes a new stamping point at Housesteads Roman Fort. It has been introduced to help reduce footfall to the Trail situated north of the Fort.

]]> http://www.hadrianswalltaxis.com/hadrians-wall-path/new-passport-stamp-for-2010/feed/ 0 The joys of early morning http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/04/joys-of-early-morning.html http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/2010/04/joys-of-early-morning.html#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:00:00 +0000 JoT . . . → Read More: The joys of early morning]]> As the year progresses the sun moves back around Hadrian's Wall.
A quick check of the Metcheck site tells me that I have promising conditions for a sunrise shot.
For a change when the alarm goes off and I look outside I discover the forecast was right, so often weather conditions change by the hour, and I'm up and ready to go, keen to get back into the swing of early mornings.
I'd got my timing wrong, should have been up and out a good 15 minutes earlier, and then I was delayed having to defrost the car, but eventually I was underway.
As I was short of time I headed to Caw Gap, from parking the car I can get into place within 15 minutes, so it's a good standby viewpoint for me when time is short.


View towards Winshields Crag


The sky was a beautiful rich red as I parked the car but again these things change quickly, it had faded to a more gentle hue by the time I got everything up and ready.
I took a few photographs, the view here has a great lead-in line of Hadrian's Wall and then follows the line of the Wall as it climbs up to the highest point at Winshields Crag, if my sun position website was correct the sun should be coming up right in front of me.

I stood by the Wall listening to the world come awake, the dawn chorus seems to happen about an hour before dawn as the darkness fades, but the evocative call of the curlew, and the raucous call of the pheasant, helped me remember why it is that I love this time of day so much.
Even the putting of the shepherd's quad bike, as he checked his flock for overnight arrivals, seemed to fit in to the gentle pace of a day waking up.
Pippets and rooks fly before me, too fast to be captured on camera, lambs called and ewe's answered, I take a big deep breath of our fresh Northumbrian air and know what it is to be content with your lot.


Sunrises over Caw Gap

Eventually the sun comes up over the hill and I capture the scene and maybe I have taken the same sort of shot many times before, but I just love this time of day and photography is a great excuse to be out there.



View west from Cawfields to Walltown

It didn't take long for the sun to rise and get too bright for my camera, I wasn't quite ready to go back home so I took the long way back past Gibbs Hill where I could see mist rising from Greenlee Lough.


Road to Gibbs Hill and Greenlee Lough

I'd like to photograph the Lough there properly on sunrise but it's a difficult place to park and one of the landowners gets really ratty if you park on the side of the track.
On this occasion I pulled over took the photograph and then turned back the way I'd come, heading down to Steel Rigg for another quick picture before finally taking the road home for breakfast.



Steel Rigg
Catch you later.
]]> http://joanthirlaway.blogspot.com/feeds/2387226074010041091/comments/default 0