Yesterday Simon and I went to the brilliantly beautiful and glorious Sheffield Botanical Gardens. The gardens have species of plants, flowers and trees from around the world. The weather was warm and dry and we even had considerable spells of sunshine.
Sheffield Botanical Gardens SignSheffield Botanical Gardens – A place of Beauty.Most plants had a black and white signs identifying the species, like this one.A mulberry tree.One of the many different species of plant.There were many collections (like the above) that were filled with colour.A wooden structure. Close by was also a mental ant. Both works of art added to the Gardens, but my favourite has to be this one.A bright and beautiful yellow flowered plant, in the background are more of the same.A tree with the most interesting red bark.An inspiring and detailed statue at the centre of a rose garden.More plants and flowers, with the indoor botanical gardens in the background.Several of these flower beds (with plants of various colours) lined the entrance to the indoor botanical gardens.An entrance to the indoor botanical gardens.Indoors – Cacti (1).Indoors – Cacti (2).Photo of the glass roof, taken indoors.Indoors – Many plants.Indoors – One plant had leafs that were so ginormous, that they made my hand look tiny (see photo above).
My friend Simon and I went back up to Hadrian’s Wall to continue our adventure following the Wall from one side of the country to the other, stopping at various sites of interest along the way.
We started this adventure last year in Cumbria. You can read about and see photos from last year in the The Hadrian’s Wall AdventurePart 1 and Part 2.
The day was dry and sunny, but it did get colder in the late afternoon. So here’s where we went, along with photos:
Haydon Bridge.
Haydon Bridge
Haydon Bridge is a village with an old bridge (photoed left) across River South Tyne. The village is very quaint and worth a short visit. Haydon Bridge is now a walk way, but would have been used as a crossing for people, horsemen and carts.
Essential Info:
Free parking is available on roads in the village.
Public Toilets are free to use and on both sides of the bridge.
The village has several pubs, a chemist, a chippy, a Tandoori restaurant and some guest houses.
Recommended for a short visit. The bridge is the only thing of note that we saw.
We decided to stop at Hexham next. Hexham is a bigger village than Haydon Bridge, with an Abbey. However as we drove around the town centre looking for parking, all signage said Parking Disc Required, but no signage gave instructions or directions on how to get a parking disc. It was a busy Saturday afternoon, with some event on at the Abbey, so we decided to give Hexham a miss.
Chesters Fort & Museum
Chesters Fort & Museum is magnificent and is a site maintained by English Heritage. It has loads to see and do including: the remains of a Fort and Bath House, a picnic area, spy holes that show where Hadrian’s Wall would have been (including across the North Tyne river), a brilliant museum full of stone works (statues, altars, depiction of Gods & Goddesses) and tools, weapons and jewellery, a gift shop, a tea room and toilets. The only downside to this fantastic attraction is that the cost of parking along with its reasonable admission price makes it an overall an expensive experience.
The signs dotted throughout the attraction are really informative and is probably the best example of signage throughout my entire Hadrian’s Wall Adventure adventure. For example, one sign read that about 500 horses and men would have been stationed at this Fort. The next sign read that a horse urinates and defecates 12KGS of waste a day. This was my Fact of the Day. Just think of all that waste, along with that of the humans.
Essential Info:
Remains of a Fort and Bath House.
Also includes a Museum, Picnic Area, Tea Room and Gift Shop.
Toilets available.
Highly Recommended.
Admission Price: £7.30 for an adult with gift aid (£6.60 without).
Opening Times: Vary throughout the year. View here.
Parking: Pay and Display at £3.00.
Here are photos from Chesters Fort & Museum:
Chesters Fort (1) – 500 Horsemen would have lived in this Fort.Chesters Fort (2) – Remains of Stables.Chesters Fort (3) – Entrance Gatehouse.Chesters Fort (4) – Hadrian’s Wall will have run across the North Tyne river at this point. You can see the continuation of the Wall on the other side of the bank.Chesters Fort (5) – The Roman Baths.Chesters Fort (6) – The Roman Baths Porch.Chesters Fort (7) – The Roman Baths.Chesters Fort (8) – Presumably a trough for the horses to eat/drink from.Chesters Fort (8) – The Roman Baths, a cold bath.Chesters Fort (9) – The Roman Baths.Chesters Fort (10) – The Roman Baths Steam Room.Chesters Fort (11) – South East Angle Tower.Chesters Fort (12) – Possibly a storage room or stronghold.Chesters Fort (13) – A well in the main villa, which still had water in,Chesters Fort (14) – Flooring.Chesters Fort (15) – More flooring.Chesters Museum (1) – The Clayton Museum was a brilliant museum full of stone works (statues, altars, depiction of Gods & Goddesses), as well as tools, weapons and jewellery.Chesters Museum (2) – Entrance. Inside stone works lined each of the walls.Chesters Museum (3) – A headless statue of Juno Regina (Queen Juno). Apparently Queen Juno was one of the most important deities in Roman Religion, known as the protector and special counsellor of the state.Chesters Museum (4) – Various altars.
Then we drove through a village called Wall. After passing through Wall we saw signs for Brunton Turret.
Brunton Turret
Brunton Turret is remains of a Turret that would have been one of many along Hadrian’s Wall. It’s in a famers field and there is a designated Parking place at the side of the road. It is a quick site to visit that will take you all of 5 minutes to walk to and see. Photos are below.
Essential Info:
Remains of a Turret and some of Hadrian’s Wall, in a farmers field.
Free parking is in designated space at the side of the road.
Well signposted.
Brunton Turret (1) – Hadrian’s Wall.Brunton Turret (2) – Where the soldiers would have been stationed.Corbridge Roman Town – We chose not to go in, as it looked very similar to Chesters Fort & Museum which we had visited earlier in the day.
Corbridge Roman Town
Corbridge Roman Town is another Roman Town, maintained by English Heritage. We opted not to visit this site, as it looked very similar to Chesters Fort & Museum.
Essential Info:
Remains of a Roman Town.
Also includes a Museum, Picnic Area and Gift Shop.
Toilets available.
Admission Price: £7.20 for an adult with gift aid (£6.50 without).
Opening Times: Vary throughout the year. View here.
Free Parking on site.
Next year Simon and I plan to visit Newcastle to complete our tour across Hadrian’s Wall from one side of the country to the other.
This week I’m off from work on annual leave. It has been a beautiful day – sunshiny with clouds. So I took the opportunity to visit my local park. It was great to feel the heat and light of the sun on my skin.
Here are some photos from my local park today:
Photos from my local park today (1) – Duck Pond.Photos from my local park today (2) – Overview.Photos from my local park today (3) – War Memorial.Photos from my local park today (4) – Monument.Photos from my local park today (5) – Fountain.Photos from my local park today (6) – A Garden.
Photos from my local park today (7) – How times have changed. My local park now has CCTV. They might be painted green, but they’re still CCTV.
As the dark, cold, winter nights draw in and signal the end of the year I’ve took some time out to reflect on the places that I’ve visited this year.
Birdozwald Roman Fort – Photo Opportunities, especially on the outside of the fort.
In May, my good friend Simon and I did the first half of our tour along Hadrian’s Wall.
We started at the Cumbria end of the Wall and worked our way along, stopping at several historical sites along the way. In one day managed to enter Northumberland, stopping at Walltown Quarry and Vindoland Roman Fort & Museum.
Unfortunately not many people could make it on the day to share the experience. The Islands Exhibit was also rather disappointing.
But the well-established exhibits were great. My favourites were: the Elephants enclosure, the Butterfly house, the Giraffes, the Chimps, the Flamingos, the Lions, the speckled Bear and the Black Rhinos.
Astley Hall Park/Grounds (3)
In July Simon and I set out to one of our favourite places – Rivington. But unknown to us, there was some sort of cycling event and with many roads closed we couldn’t work out how to actually get there.
So instead Simon directed me to Astley Hall Park. It was a place that I had never been to before and is beautiful.
We had a walk around the park, stopping to take photos. Then we had coffee and cake in the on-site cafe.
I have wanted to visit a botanical gardens for sometime now. I wanted to meander inside a giant glass greenhouse full of exotic plants and trees. I even put it as a goal for 2016. So I did a Google search looking for my nearest botanical gardens, found Southport Botanic Gardens (Churchtown) and dragged Simon along.
It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. No giant glass greenhouse. But the weather was sunny and warm and in its own way it was totally charming. The small park was filled with trees from across the world. I just wish there had been some sort of guide to what species the trees were and where in the world they had come from.
There was an unexpected aviary and a small yet delightful Victorian gardens. There was another cafe, so of course we stopped for coffee and cake.
The Victorian Garden (1).
York is known for its iconic Abbey and shopping. It’s a place that I had never been to until this year.
Simon and I visited York and Knaresborough. York is architecturally splendid and has building from various times in its long history. We did visit The Shambles, but didn’t really buy much.
Probably the greatest thing about our visit is the fun we had together. We talked and laughed lots. Here are two photos of me being silly (click on any image for full size):
York Abbey (from a distance).
Me racing on a wooden sheep.
My arrival at Knaresborough Castle.
So these are the places that I’ve visited this year. I think it’s time to start planning for 2017.
