Hadrian’s Wall

On yet another day of our journey, Hadrian’s Wall remains a constant companion as our route leads us further eastward. This is a distant view of Crag Lough.

But why did Hadrian build his Wall. It seems it wasn’t purely defensive, certainly not against an invasion. There is evidence of livestock and other resources making their way south to feed the Roman army so it was probably more of a border control.

Perhaps Hadrian’s endeavour stemmed from vanity, or perhaps it was fuelled by paranoia, a desire to distance himself from those he couldn’t control.

By the time that Hadrian decided to build his Wall, the Romans had a good grip on the southern and eastern parts of this Atlantic archipelago of ours. Scotland and Ireland, well, they were a bit more of a tough nut to crack — harsh weather, rugged terrain, not exactly fertile ground for Rome’s conquering ambitions. Some emperors did try their hand at Scotland, but the allure of battling wild, warlike folks in endless rain at the edge of the known world wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. So, taking the whole archipelago under Roman rule? It probably wasn’t worth the effort and Hadrian decided to call time of expanding the empire.