And so we begin...

We walked 12.5 miles today.

What a lovely day to begin our walk of Hadrian's Wall.  The temperatures ranged from 50 degrees to the mid-60's today.  The sky was blue with scattered clouds.  There was a prediction of late afternoon rain, but none appeared.

We had a hearty English breakfast at the Oak Tree Lodge around 7:30am.  Left just before 9am to take the metro back to Segedunum, with only our daypacks, to start our walk!  We began on the trail at 9:22am.  The weather was perfect and our hopes were high.

The morning was just lovely, walking through parts of Newcastle.  We stopped for a water break and cookies at around 10:30am and decided to get lunch in Newcastle since it would be our best chance to find a restaurant.  We walked on into Newcastle, enjoying the seven bridges spanning the Tyne river.

Lunch was at the Slug and Lettuce.  Nice variety and it was right on the river path in downtown Newcastle.  Robert got a Diet Coke with ice.  England has certainly changed since our last visit!

After about an hour, we hit the trail again.  Leaving downtown Newcastle behind pretty quickly, we enjoyed walking through more "pastoral" areas.  Although the guide book had warned about this part of the walk being through industrial areas and business parks, we found it to be very green and quite inviting.

The wildflowers are abundant and many of the trees are in flower. Our guidebook has a section on plants, so we are able to identify most of them.  Here is a blooming hawthorne tree.  The scent is lovely too.

Mid-afternoon, we met a Roman Centurion.  He is walking the wall, in uniform, to raise money for epilepsy.  It certainly added a touch of realism to our journey!

About a mile before we were expecting it, we arrived at our destination for today!  Just before 4pm, we walked through the Leisure Center at Newburn.  Many families were enjoying the park and river because today is a holiday, just like in the U.S.  Just behind the Leisure Center, we found the Keelman's Lodge.  Our destination!

Just before arriving, we stopped to read about the Battle of Newburn Ford in 1640.  The Scots beat the English in a battle here that was fought largely because the English king suggested a change to the book of prayer.  The Scots would have none of that and pledged a covenant to stay true.  The "Covenanters" took up arms to make their point.

Dinner is at the Keelman's Pub tonight.  The weather is still mild and lovely.  We have enjoyed some rest and taking off our shoes.  We'll have dinner outside in the garden and celebrate a successful beginning to our trek!