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Description
Roman Gallery. Hadrians wall AD 122 - looking East towards Crag lough (a local name for a small lake) and the cliffs of the Whin Sill.
The Whin Sill is hard weather resistant rock (dolerite)which is eroded less, and therefore stands out, and grows relation to the sinking surroundings.
The roman wall undulates over the highest points, coast to coast, and was the Roman's emphatic stamp! - to show the Northern limit of their vast Empire.
For some easy reading info:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian's_Wall
The Whin Sill is hard weather resistant rock (dolerite)which is eroded less, and therefore stands out, and grows relation to the sinking surroundings.
The roman wall undulates over the highest points, coast to coast, and was the Roman's emphatic stamp! - to show the Northern limit of their vast Empire.
For some easy reading info:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian's_Wall
Posted Comments:
JimChampion (2006-08-09)
Aha - I hope this is a good omen, I'm off to walk the Hadrians Wall footpath this Saturday.
Ethelwulf (2006-08-09)
You'l love it Jim. Scenery, heritage, archeology, and endorphins - wonderful marra!
But don't over do it ,as it's 73 miles long (or it was).
Best leave the heavy, serious marching to the ghosts of the legions....
JimChampion (2006-08-10)
I spoke too soon, circumstances beyond my control mean that I won't be going to Hadrian's Wall (not this summer anyway). Plan B is the Purbecks and some Dorset coastal scenery. And perhaps the odd barrow and hillfort.
Ethelwulf (2006-08-11)
I'm sure you'll love it my friend, reassert your boundaries, and the Emperor Hadrian will wait. I've always wanted to peruse the ancient delights of the west country - but could never afford their extortionate b&b prices!
JimChampion (2006-08-11)
That's why this trip will involve staying in a tent, it works out slightly cheaper. Avoid Lulworth Cove if you want to stay away from extortionate B&Bs! As for Hadrian's Wall, its been there for almost 2000 years, I suspect it will still be there next year.
thecaptain (2006-08-11)
Have a pint or two at the wonderful and ancient Square and Compass for me Jim. Its probably worth a site entry here for its museum and rocks collection !
JimChampion (2006-08-11)
I've been there before but managed to miss the museum bit, was too busy trying to decide on one of the many varieties of cider on offer! Only found out about the rocks part today, and now you've mentioned it too. I hope its Worth it (geddit?).
TimPrevett (2006-08-11)
Another reason to avoid Lulworth Cove is parking - very expensive, as is nearly every car park in the area. I used to work at the (now closed) Q8 garage in East Lulworth, and thankfully could use a permit from a friend who worked on the Weld Estate. That's 16 years ago now. Best visit out of season, early morning or later evening - gets very busy indeed. Have fun, Jim. Give my love to the Purbecks - I miss them a lot.
JimChampion (2006-08-11)
This may not be the place to discuss it, but why not - the Cove is a honeypot for tourists and the Lulworth Estate certainly makes the most of their monopoly. There will be no cars involved as we're walking, but you can't go along the coast path without staying overnight somewhere around Lulworth unless you walk at superhuman speeds. Our solution is to detour (via a handy tourist bus service) to Wool where there are many reasonably-priced and available campsites.
thecaptain (2006-08-11)
I generally get to camp down in Purbeck one weekend a year for a biking weekend, lots of good offroad bike trails there, and stay at Tom's field. Cheap, cheerful, and withing easy walking distance of a couple of good pubs, or a short bike ride to the S&C. Definitely Worth it !
JimChampion (2006-08-11)
Aha - I detect that we are all in the Summer Holiday mood. Tom's Field is our first overnight stop.
And if we're in the Purbeck mood (even though this is a Hadrians wall pic)... I got a very lyrical book about the Isle of Purbeck from the library today ("Purbeck: The Ingrained Island" by Paul Hyland) which does a very good job of describing and discussing the prehistory of the area, as well as geological and modern history. Its not a modern book (1978) but that doesn't make much difference.
TimPrevett (2006-08-11)
In Wool, there's a campsite near the train station / main bus stop, just the other side of a pedestrian level crossing, on East Burton Rd. That's about 500 yrds from where I grew up! When descending from Lulworth towards Wool, notice the trig point on the hill to the right just above Wool. I used to go there to photo the sunset (or rise) from there with the trig point in front of the sun... I now know that I was looking to photograph something else!
Ethelwulf (2006-08-11)
Ahem, *clears throat*
If I may interject just for a second, in this roaring debate in my living room.......nobody has said anything yet about my photo!
JimChampion (2006-08-11)
Sorry, how rude of us. Its a very well composed view of a majestic bit of landscape. One day I'll see it for myself (I hope)!
JimChampion (2006-08-11)
Now back to Wool - ST, the campsite you mention is the one we're headed for. Within walking distance of "Monkey World" (apparently). And the Wool trig point is apparently called "Sexys Farm". Fnarrrr. Back to the Hadrians photo - is it from slide film? The colours are very saturated.
Ethelwulf (2006-08-11)
Aye!!! 16 comments! and in all that, "well composed view of a majestic bit of landscape." Hmmm....
Yes Jim. I can see you put lots of ,'knuckling into the forehead, eyes screwed tight shut, words-wrung-out-of-the-soul' type of effort, into that razor-sharp critique
thecaptain (2006-08-12)
Nice picture Ethelwulf!
TimPrevett (2006-08-12)
It is a gorgeous picture - wall entering left hand side of picture, well centred, leading eye naturally across the field of vision, into the distance. Nice colours too. I think that lake also features in the film Arthur or whatever it was a few years back.
TimPrevett (2006-08-12)
Wool trigpoint also has a couple barrows, IIRC. Campsite - if you are lucky, you'll get to see mist rolling in from the river across the meadows. It will be about 15 - 20 mins walk over Woolbridge to Monkey World. Watch out for Tanks along main road as well as sppeding traffic. Also spent a summer working at Monkey World, picking fern out of the monkeys' enclosures so they didn't get gut ache (and more), as well as litter. If you remember "Challenge Aneka" (sp?), they did one there - but without planning permission!
JimChampion (2006-08-12)
Admittedly my comment may have been phrased as if it was from a book of stock responses, but I do think the composition is your photo's strongest feature. I am not a fan of highly saturated colours in this type of landscape pic, it reminds me of those postcards (from the 1980s?) where they tried to make the British seaside look like the Mediterranean. However, I think the strong colours work beautifully in your Gefrin photo - do you have any more to submit?
Ethelwulf (2006-08-12)
Tim, I think the lough also ended up in that appalling film, 'Robin hood' with Kevin Costner (where the Roman wall was the same height as it is now - in the 12th century!!)
Thanks Jim, good piont about the strong colours - but I ony enhanced them subtly, as the strong July sun on a mist-free day, was showing deep clear colours. I have absolutely tons of photos from cup and rings, to medievel Gothic archtecture - but will find the time (and energy) to do it in due course. Of course that was only my caustic humour - I appreciate any consructive comments and views on my images. Thank you.
JimChampion (2006-08-12)
I suppose that on such days the Roman soldiers might have felt a little more at home. Don't suppose they thought much of the other three months of the year. As for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - they filmed some of the Sherwood Forest parts in the New Forest, but the real trees didn't look old enough so they brought some fibreglass ones in. And I remember watching the film the first time round wondering how they had crossed Hadrians Wall on their way from France to Nottingham.
Ethelwulf (2006-08-12)
Thanks Jim - your advice on the saturation of the colours was excellent, that's just what I want to know. I think I'll just leave my colours as they are for this site (without enhancing them) - as a member of several photo sites, my composition is usually good...so thank you again for that.
PS it is so cold up here now, (10C) that we've all put our heating on , whilst the southerners are still having their heatwave and drought - God I hate this country's climate. It must have been the worst posting in the entire Roman Empire (except a lot of them were indigenous Brits!)
Pops (2006-09-29)
I only wish, I had been aware of such treasures when I was stationed in England in the 60's. Oh, to have walked this wall, or to have camped out along it and watched the stars...;)
Pops (2006-09-29)
I love the juxtiposition of the green gap between Hadians Wall, as it descends towards the rich blue lake. All in all it sort of reminds me of that old tale of Loch Ness....the monster in this case the hump of Hadians Wall, the gap between it's hump the long green descent to the lush blue lake below where Nessie is headed...
Ethelwulf (2006-09-29)
Thanks Pops, a superb critique - and I really like the 'Nessie' comparison! Your words have added some new imagery for me!
JimChampion (2007-12-30)
I can look at this picture in a different light now, having seen it myself from this angle - on a much greyer day in August 2007. Had lunch up on the crag above the lough. It really is a fine walk west from Housesteads, the wall is well preserved and there are remains of milecastles and turrets.
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