2010 Season: Walks of the Section

Trail looking West towards Heavenfield.

10/05/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 25
Picked up two bags of litter/rubbish along the section.
Erosion of path/trail reported.


02/06/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 17
Small amount of litter picked up.
Vegetation cut back around gates and stiles.

01/07/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 27
Collected litter out of Wall ditch.
Monitored erosion of path/trail.

19/07/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 43
Picked up small amount of litter along the section.
Cut back a small amount of vegetation around stiles and gates. Cut back small amount of brambles and nettles along the path in Stanley Plantation. Flattened some molehills and filled in a few rabbit holes on trail.



Trail looking East to B6318 Road Crossing.





02/08/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 63
Picked up small amount of litter and glass bottles.
Path has been repaired and reseeded at certain points along the route. The erosion at NY964691 has been repaired and the area reseeded.

23/08/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 24
Picked up a small amount of litter and plastic water bottles.
Path in Stanley Plantation very muddy in places due to recent rains. Cut back vegetation around gates and stiles. Cut back brambles in Stanley Plantation along the path.
Replaced missing Acorn waymarker on stile.


21/09/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 18
Very little litter on Trail.
Checked trail markers, way markers and Caution traffic signs for damage and replacement etc.


05/10/2010

Visitors/Walkers on Trail: 16
Picked up a small amount of litter.
Dead sheep on Trail in Stanley Plantation. Reported to Trail Manager, Hadrian's Wall Heritage Ltd. It was removed from trail the next day.



B6318 Road Crossing looking North.




Path in Stanley Plantation after heavy rain.






Erosion on the trail

"Hadrian's Wall is a very sensitive place, a fragile piece of our heritage. Almost everywhere that you walk is archaeologically important, the many excavations have shown this to be the case, so we all have a responsibility to make sure that the surviving remains are preserved for future generations. Hadrian's wall Path seeks to achieve an appropriate balance between the needs of recreation, conservation, economic development and farming", (McGlade, D. 2007).


The walking season for Hadrian's Wall National Trail is from May to October. When the trail was created, the decision was made for it to be managed as a grass path. This was for three main reasons:

• Any buried archaeology is protected by a healthy grass surface.
• Wall is given the most sympathetic countryside background.
• A pleasant and comfortable path surface for walkers.

A grass path needs much more maintenance and management to be carried out over the year.

With as many as 10000 Walkers using the Trail every season, certain areas of the trail can deteriorate and have to be repaired. Walking the trail in the passport season, and not in the wet winter months helps to protect the trail and the buried archaeology.

As a Trail Volunteer, our role is to monitor the condition of the path and report any problem areas, so that they can be repaired. It is not only to keep the path in good condition, but to protect any sensitive archaeology, in that area.

The following photographs show some problem areas identified and how they looked after repair.

Path before the repairs.

This particular part of the trail was quite steep and you can see that two areas of the bank side had eroded, due to the passage of the walkers on the path.



Path after the repairs.

Fresh soil was laid over the eroded area and grass seed sown.


Path protected by plastic matting.

Repairing the path using plastic matting, allows erosion to be halted and gives the grass time to grow and recover.

"Every Footstep Counts" is a code of respect for the World Heritage Site. By following the code you will be helping to maintain the site and ensure future generations can also enjoy the monument.

The code can be found on the Trail Website: www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall/text.asp?PageId=27

Whilst on the Trail, walkers can follow some basic points, doing so will help to maintain and reserve the monument and adjoining land.

•  Avoid worn lines or areas in the path.

Example of a worn line.





Area worn away by livestock.

• Keep on the trail and do not walk on anything that resembles a ridge.



Example of ridges beside the trail - Site of Milecastle 24.



•  Do not walk on any standing sections of Hadrians Wall.

References:

McGlade, D. 2007 (National Trail Manager)
The Essential Companion to Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail. Hadrian's Wall Heritage Ltd.

www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall/publications.asp?PageId=264








 



 

Portgate to Heavenfield: Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail

The 84 mile long Hadrian's Wall Path begins at Segedunum Fort, the most easterly outpost on Hadrian's Wall , which stands on the banks of the River Tyne at Wallsend. It passes through the urban sprawl of Newcastle and out into the countryside of Northumberland. The middle section of the Path has the most magnificent scenery and preserved sections of Hadrian's Wall and its associated Roman sites. From here the Path enters Cumbria and winds its way to the West coast at Bowness on Solway.



Hadrian's Wall National Trail

This part of the National Trail starts at the Errington Arms Public House, approximately 3 miles north of Corbridge and finishes at Heavenfield close to the village of Chollerford.

My first walk of the route was undertaken on the 10th May 2010. It could be described as a leisurely walk taking in some magnificent scenery whilst undertaking a wide range of tasks such as: picking up litter, cutting back nettles and brambles, taking photographs of problem areas on the trail and probably the most important meeting and talking to the walkers on the trail.

Some five months into the season, I have been out on the section eight times and completed the monitoring reports. During that time I have met and talked to a large amount of walkers from different areas of this country and others from around the World. Items discussed have been varied and to date I have not met a walker who has anything negative to say about the trail. They are very complimentary about how well it is maintained and comment about the lack of litter.

Even after a short period of time, I am proud to be part of a team that is helping to maintain and monitor such an important archaeological site. I am not only speaking for myself, but I feel that all National Trail volunteers will become very protective about their section and welcome the chance to be the face of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd. http://www.hadrians-wall.org/

Part of Portgate to Heavenfield, National Trail:  - Looking West