Carlisle and Hadrian's Wall

I came to Carlisle with the sole purpose of seeing Hadrian's Wall, but the city has a lot more to offer. Upon arrival, I took the bus to reach the Bunkhouse (a converted barn) where I was staying. Now, the thing I realized about the rural buses in England is that there are no clearly defined stops nor are the roads well marked. Considering that I didn't know the area nor knew what the bunkhouse looked like this could have been a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, a fellow traveler, who was hiking the Wall, was staying at the campsite on the property and knew where it was. Of all the places where I've stayed so far, despite not having heat on the second floor, this place was really cool. The Wi-Fi was good, free tea was available, the owner, a delightful woman by the name of Sandra, was nice and provided useful advice, and it had a very chill atmosphere. The first night I had the whole place to myself (my guess; despite it being April it was freezing cold) and, despite the chill outside, I was able to keep myself warm with several hot water bottles. The second night, I was joined by some very fun Australians and French travelers.
Of course, I know that you all don't read this to hear about my hostel experience. My first port of call in Carlisle was the local cathedral, whose origins date back to Norman times. Some of the building's stained glass windows have been in place since the 14th century, while the stalls for the choir have been in the building for over 900 years. In addition, on the lower levels there's a treasury of objects detailing the history of Christians in Cumbria.
After a delicious meal of lasagna and chips in a pub whose existence can also be traced to the Middle Ages, I headed off to Carlisle Castle. As the gentleman at the cathedral explained Carlisle Castle is 'a proper castle' and it’s hard not to see why. Built on the site of a roman fort, the castle, sitting on the border of England and Scotland, the castle holds the record for being the most besieged place in Britain, with English kings, Parliamentarian Roundheads, and Scottish Jacobites all laying siege to the site at some point. The castle was the court for the Scottish king David I who died in the small chapel. Later Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots, and his second wife Margaret stayed her. In fact, Margaret’s tower can still be seen. Later on, Mary Queen of Scots was held captive here after she fled Scotland. While the tower she stayed in has been destroyed, the site is clearly marked. After a siege that saw the civilians and soldiers eat their own horses, the city surrendered to the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Later, in the aftermath of Culloden, Jacobite prisoners were held in its lower cells. The rooms in this prison are pitch-black and several Jacobites died in here before they could face trial. The rest were forced to suck moisture from the stone walls in order to keep from dehydrating. There was no relief for the Jacobites. After being convicted they were led out of the castle, hung by the neck for a few minutes, and then taken down and cut open while they were forced to watch. Despite having been besieged by the rebels a few months earlier, the citizens of Carlisle were so disgusted by this treatment that they returned to their homes in protest of  'Butcher' Cumberland’s' draconian methods. It’s believed that the song 'Loch Lomond' was written by a Jacobite rebel after receiving a last visit from his girlfriend. The low road he sings of is 'death' which will finally allow him to return to Scotland.
In more recent years, the Castle was a training ground and barracks for the British army, which is commemorated by the very good Cumberland military museum. Today it stands as a monument to the regions legacy as a frontier. This theme was further elaborated upon at my next destination, the Tully Museum. The museum, which unfortunately didn't allow photography, with a few exceptions, had wonderful exhibits on Hadrian's Wall, the Reivers, Carlisle, pre-Raphaelite painters, and artists with disabilities. The Hadrian's Wall exhibit featured an expansive collection of Roman artifacts, costumes, info about Roman history, and info about the Roman soldiers themselves. Another exhibit focused on the Reivers, English and Scottish raiders who kept events on the border interesting. I saw quite a few names I recognized on a list of Reivers families. Quite an interesting claim to fame. Outside lies a faux monument to them, with a bishop’s curse printed on stone and the names carved on the pathway for visitors to trample underfoot.
The artwork in the museum is difficult to describe, but needless to say it was stunning. I was immensely impressed by the beauty of the figures and landscapes of the pre-Raphaelite painters and while I wasn't impressed by the artwork in the Tate Modern Museum, I felt that the modern art in the Tullie Gallery was very evocative and thought provoking (the museum attendant and I had quite a discussion about whether a particular peace had been inspired by a Monty Python sketch). The final part of the Gallery which focused on works of art with either physical or mental impairments was also quite good. Like many galleries, the paintings were accompanied by short blurbs by the authors themselves. For many pieces, these blurbs were nothing more than 'I like to paint' which when juxtaposed against the stunning works of art effectively demonstrated that there are other forms of communication besides written and verbal.
My final stop in Carlisle was the Guild House. This medieval building was the home of the main trade guild during the Middle Ages and has survived to this day.
The next morning, I headed out to Hadrian's Wall. My destination was Housestead's fort, the most well preserved fort on the site. To review, the wall was built by the Emperor Hadrian as a way of marking the border of the Roman Empire in Britain (although roman troops did march as far North as Edinburgh and another wall, Antoine's Wall marks lies a little farther to the North. The fort supported a nearby town in addition to its garrison. Standing at the North Wall of the fort one gets a sense of Roman power. The fort was built at the top of a hill and any approaching army would have had hard time taking it. At other points along the way the crossing would have been a little easier. The portions of the wall I saw were roughly 5 feet tall and while part of it was located along cliffs, elsewhere a small band could have easily crossed over the the Roman side. However, the wall was so well guarded and designed that a force of Roman troops would have been in pursuit of them shortly. It’s said that author George R. R. Martin was inspired to write Game of Thrones while visiting the Wall, and given the forbidding landscape I can understand why. Of course, the Romans were facing something far worse than White Walkers and Wildlings, my ancestors (Picts and Caledonians). Today many people like to hike the wall from the point it began to where it ended. While I didn't have the time to do that this trip, it has been added to my bucket list. If it ever happens, maybe I'll write a blog about it...