If there is one thing I was reminded of today, it is that history comes in layers.  We used the Metro to get around Newcastle today, as it seemed easier than driving and looking for parking in and near the city.  We boarded at Heworth.  I farewelled Ian at Newcastle Central, where he began the final leg of his trek at the Swing Bridge.  I continued by train to Wallsend, east of the city.  Formerly known as Segedunum (“strong place”), this was the site of the great fort at the start, or end, of Hadrian’s Wall, as it reached the mouth of the Tyne.  The location, on a bend, was chosen for good visibility in either direction.

The museum, complete with UFO-like viewing tower, tells more than the history of the Romans and the Wall.  Far more recently, it was the location of one of Newcastle’s many pit mines, and until the industry’s demise in the 1970s, it housed one of the great Tyneside shipyards, Swans.  They were builders of the Carthage, the ship that answered the frantic calls for assistance from the Titanic.  They built cruise ships for the Cunard line.  The museum is housed in what was obviously an administration building.  Segedunum Fort once lay under hundreds of row houses which were home to the shipyard workers; it has been gradually excavated since their demolition.  There is now a complete outline of the fort, although no standing structures remain.

The layers of history are most evident across the road, where the last section of Hadrian’s Wall meets the remnants of a small but significant coal mine; all overlooked by modern terrace housing, roads, and a supermarket.  Nearby you can still see the old slipways where mighty tankers were built and launched.

Ian duly appeared, and we recorded his official completion of the Hadrian’s Wall trail, 84 miles from Bowness-on-Solway.  But to finish the coast to coast walk, he had another 10 km to go.  So I waved him off again, and reboarded the train, to Tynemouth. 

Tynemouth is on the north side of the river, and is a pleasant township full of cafes, the smell of fish and chips hanging in the air.  At the end of the promontory sits Tynemouth Priory, overlooking North Shields and South Shields, with their sandy beaches, cliffs, and grand statues.  Being in such an important defensive position, the Priory also has gun emplacements, as the shipyards were under close protection during WW2.  I wandered amongst the picturesque ruins, admiring the views out to sea and over the river mouth, until Ian rang to tell me he had finished walking.  He was about a mile away at Fish Quay, at the point where the ocean meets the river.  His Coast to Coast journey of 156 km was complete, after 7 days.

We took the metro “the long way” via the new coastal line, and back into central Newcastle.  There we wandered for a bit, downhill to the river for one last look at the city and the bridges.  Even after two visits here, we have more things we’d like to do, or redo.

It’s our last night in our lovely little home in Kibblesworth.  It’s been remarkably unremarkable in the hamlet – no Midsomer murders or ordnance hoarding neighbours.