Day Trip to North East - Chesters Roman Fort & Town of Hexham
We left Durham and drove up to the north and then to the west. Our destination was Chesters Roman Fort, one of 15 permanent forts built during the construction of Hadrian’s Wall. Chesters was built in about 124 as a cavalry fort, housing a 500-man cavalry unit and was occupied until the 5th century when the Roman rule in Britain ended. Much later, in the 18th century, Nathaniel Clayton, a Town Clerk of Newcastle upon Tyne bought the estate in 1796. He leveled the ruins and covered them with grass to form a park. In the 19th century, his son, John Clayton, a lawyer and Roman enthusiast, inherits the property, and started excavating the ruins with his workmen every Monday. After John passed away, his son Nathaniel succeeded the excavation work and built a museum to house his father's Roman discovery.
There was a Roman bathhouse right next to the river. Romans loved taking a hot bath, especially during a cold winter in Britain. As a bath lover, I understand it very much. There was also a steam bath and a cold bath.
It (below) was a changing room of bathhouse.
They (below) were supposed to be barracks. 500 cavalrymen and horses lived there together... it must have been very crowded.
The ruins are located in the middle of a peaceful pasture. The sheep would never thought about what was happening here almost 2000 years ago. Perhaps, they don't care...
The Victorian-style ClaytonMuseum was very nice and interesting.
After we enjoyed our visit to the fort, we were hungry but found ourselves in a middle of countryside. We decided to drive to Hexham, a small market town situated in about 15 minute drive to the south from the fort. The centerpiece of the town was Hexham Abbey, one of the earliest surviving Christian foundations in Britain. We quickly visited the abbey to see the inside. It is said that originally built in AD 674, the Abbey was built up during the 12th century into its current form, with additions around the turn of the 20th century. Maybe because of such a new patchwork, the inside of abbey didn't look like an ancient building.
Around 4pm, it was finally time for lunch/dinner! It was kinda odd time. Too late for seating for a cafe but too early for restaurant's dinner time. With limited options available in the town, we tried an Italian restaurant, Buongiorno.
Sautéed mushrooms were our starter to share. Garlicky!
My main was a pasta dish that was named after the restaurant - a creamy tomato sauce with chicken and mushrooms. The sauce went well with Tagliatelle my pasta choice very much.
Although J ordered penne with Amatriciana, what he got was somehow penne with Arrabbiata. Well, I guess that arrabbiata was healthier than amatriciana that is usually made with bacon. Good for J!
The food was simple and nice. Not wow but comfort. For desserts, J had a great idea. He took me to an ice cream shop called Molly Moo's Ice Cream Parlour near the Italian restaurant. My rum raisin ice cream was very good. It was clearly rummy! I don't remember what flavor J had, but he must have enjoyed his. Our day trip to North West was wonderful. We didn't have a chance to visit Newcastle upon Tyne, the most populous city in the North East this time. Next time maybe?
