The Roman frontier of Hadrian’s Wall is an ever-popular destination for both walkers and those interested in the Roman remains. In this guide, the walker is taken on an archaeological adventure to both the well-known sites and the many forgotten places, just as important as the iconic forts and milecastles. The author provides the walker the opportunity to contribute to the research and leads the walker into understanding the landscape not just as a dramatic piece of scenery but a living vibrant entity. The author offers a living vibrant, complex landscape with added mud!
Clifford Jones is an archaeologist, lecturer and author. He's had two television appearances with excavations at Muncaster Castle in 2002 (BBC Manchester special) and Gosforth Hall in 2005 (Granada Television programme ‘Viking’) in which he found and excavated a tenth-century Viking hall. He is one of the country’s leading experts on the Wall.
Hadrian's Wall is one of the most popular historical sites in the United Kingdom, attracting thousands of visitors every year. While part of it lies in or around towns, and the associated museums are accessible by road, to see much of the wall you have to go on foot. The book contains a wealth of maps, addresses, phone numbers and links to supply all the information needed to complete an end to end walk of the wall in ten days.
The book starts with an introduction providing a (very) brief history of the wall and some of the theories as to why it was built. It then provides a list of essentials the walker will need, from clothing through to blankets, maps and provisions. This is told in an amusing way, reminding us of the mishaps possible, some of which the writer tells us he has fallen foul to in the past.
After this we enter the main body of the book which is divided into ten chapters, each being a days walking. They each start with a map, length to be covered and requirements. They then give detailed step by step instructions to the walker, pointing out all relevant sights en route and places to stop to eat and sleep. As well as plenty of pubs!
Unlike many books of this kind the author sends the walker from Tynemouth in the east to Kirkbride in the west, as he believes this give us a better understanding of the walls nature and by seeing it in a fuller state, to understand its remains and how to spot them in their more degraded state in the west.
It is written in a very friendly and informal style, and it makes you feel the writer is with you on the journey, providing snippets of information and the occasional anecdote. The book is well illustrated with a number of black and white photographs, and also a series of colour images.
Reading this book has certainly inspired me to walk Hadrian's wall!
Book: 'Hadrian's Wall: An Archaeological Walking Guide'
Author: Clifford Jones
Review by: Joe Medhurst
Joe Medhurst is a teacher and historian, he writes articles on history and education for several magazines and websites. His website is: joemedhurst.com