We began the day with an independent visit to Vindolanda, an archaeological dig site located near Hadrian’s Wall. It’s interesting in that they are doing work out there everyday under the supervision of trained archaeologist. Pretty much everyone else working are volunteers, which kind of showed. Some were looking less than enthusiastic at the hard work. Another interesting feature was their interpretation panels, which included Latin (probably because the site is Roman). There wasn’t much interpretation though, and what was original and what was reproduction/replica wasn’t always clear. The little museum with some of their finds was fantastic, and extremely well preserved due to the anaerobic nature of their soil. We couldn’t take pictures inside, but here are some of the dig.
Example of interpretation panel with English, Latin, and French languages
*****
After Vindolanda we drove to a public footpath leading up to Hadrian’s Wall. We then proceeded to hike about two miles of Hadrian’s Wall with Eric of National Trust (which owns this stretch of the Wall), and Mike Collins of English Heritage. NT has placed some of the management of the Wall and the forts along this particular stretch into EH’s hands. The Wall is, of course, a scheduled monument. It was interesting walking and talking with them, as we were able to see the differences in their goals and priorities, and the kind of balancing act needed between conservation and allowing the public to enjoy the site. Eric was the first representative from the National Trust that we have spoken with, but next Tuesday we will be speaking with someone at their Regional Headquarters in York. Here are some photos of the Wall.
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