Walking from Willowford Farm to Birdoswald ...

I was late for my full English at Willowford Farm - I was slow to wake from my dreams - as I dressed, I remembered the slender dancers, the stirring of lithe hounds -

We left Willowford for Birdoswald just after ten - I looked up for a second or so at the bright northern sun - I could have been in Panama -  

A long limbed woman ran past us as we walked along the Wall - she ran with swift purpose, her gaze fixed upon the dark wood ahead - soon she was lost to our sight amongst the trees - 

We came to the ruins of the Roman bridge - the river had shifted its course westwards over the long centuries - now the abutments were lapped by turf -

We crossed over the wide stony river bed on a ribbon of weathered steel - this new bridge, said our guidebook, was one of the most beautiful on the trail - 

Following the Wall, we climbed a steep slope, past a mile castle, to see the valley floor below us - languid meanders shone in the warm sunlight - invisible birds sang their songs -

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July 12 2914

The Irthing Bridge