This leg of our journey is 45 km.
We leave Ebchester and head northwest along Dere Street for 17 km.
Click here to see the map:
https://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4253016.html
We pass Apperley Dene, where there was once a Roman/British settlement
but which was not settled in the 7th century, and cross the
water at Stocksfield Burn (below). Nearby Stocksfield has a church built in 803 with
roman stone.
Image: Clive Nicholson, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1614168 no changes. |
We then come to Corbridge (below), the most Northerly town in Roman
Britain. Corbridge was called Coria in roman times and was at the junction of
Dere Street (running North-South) and Stanegate Road, which ran East-West from
Corbridge to Carlisle through the Tyne Valley.
Image: Andrew Locking, https://www.andrewswalks.co.uk/corbridge.html |
Coria started as a garrison of 1,000 soldiers but eventually
became a large town with a military presence. The ruins of the Roman fort and town are well-preserved here.
Image: Andrew Locking, https://www.andrewswalks.co.uk/corbridge.html |
To see more wonderful photos of Corbridge, click here:
https://www.andrewswalks.co.uk/corbridge.html
Following Stranegate inland along the River Tyne, we go west
for 28 km to Haltwhistle.
Stanegate (meaning ‘stone road’) was built before Hadrian’s
Wall, following an existing track made by the first peoples. There is much evidence
of settlements and farming from 1000 BC along the Tyne Valley. Hadrian built
his wall later along this route, partially to keep the Northern tribes from
raiding the lead and silver mines in this area. There were forts along
Stanegate originally at every day’s march, Hadrian added more so that there
were forts every half-day’s march. Below is the River Tyne, looking west from the bridge at Corbridge, just before we turn to follow the river to Haltwhistle on Stanegate Road.
Image: Andrew Locking, https://www.andrewswalks.co.uk/corbridge.html |
Next we reach Hexham, where St. Wilfrid built Hexham Abbey in
674. St. Wilfrid had been taught at Lindisfarne and travelled to Rome. Upon his
return he built one of the first churches in Britain to be made completely with
stone, which he got from the Roman fort in Corbridge and from Hadrian’s Wall. King
Elfwald was buried here in 788 and the original crypt (below) is still present in the
current church.
Image: https://britishpilgrimage.org/portfolio/hadrians-wall-pilgrims-way/ |
Two years later St. Wilfrid built St. Andrew’s Church in
Corbridge. They were built around the same time as Jarrow-Monkswearmouth and are
quite similar. There is also mention of a monastery in Corbridge in 786.
Bardon Mill is the next place of interest on Stanegate. There
is another very well preserved Roman Fort here. You can see the fort below, with Stanegate running north in a straight line beside it.
Image: http://irisonline.org.uk/index.php/features/347-the-stanegate-frontier-life-in-roman-britain-before-hadrian-s-wall |
And finally we get to Haltwhistle, where St. Paulinus, St. Aidan, St. Cuthbert and even St. Patrick are a part of the history of this town.
Image: https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/places-to-visit/hadrians-wall/haltwhistle/ |
Image: Andy Parrett |
It is near ‘Llan Aidan’ (Aidan’s Church) and St. Aidan would very likely have preached here. The oldest part of the church is the font, a slab of rock with a basin carved out to hold Holy Water. It was likely from a Roman temple and used by St. Paulinus as a baptismal font.
St. Paulinus came to Northumbria in 625 with Ethelburg, the sister of the King of Kent. She came north to marry King Edwin and brought priests with her so she could continue to practice Christianity even though King Edwin was Pagan. St. Paulinus was Italian, tall and awe-inspiring, and preached mostly in the Haltwhistle area. King Edwin was baptized at Walltown, 7km from Haltwhistle. There is still a natural spring here called The Kings Well. St. Paulinus also baptized St. Hilda and Eanfled (King Edwin’s daughter, who later came north with Utta to marry King Oswy in Week 3). St. Paulinus left Northumbria with Ethelburg and Eanfled when King Edwin died in 633, returning to Kent.
Image from https://heavyangloorthodox.blogspot.com/2019/10/holy-hierarch-paulinus-of-york-and.htm |
|
Image from https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/walk/winshield-crags-cawfields/ |
Image: Colin Smith, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2921615 no changes |
[ancientmonuments.uk, corbridge.ukpc.net, englandsnortheast.co.uk,visitnorthumberland.com, wikipedia]