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Hadrian's Wall Path 2007
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At 10am on Friday 3rd August 2007, one of elexa's consultants, Russ Gallagher and his wife Jane set out eastwards from what was the roman fort of Maia at Bowness-on-Solway on the coast of Cumbria to walk the 84-mile length of the historic Hadrian's Wall path. The walk ended at the remains of the Roman fort of Segedunum in Wallsend-on-Tyne seven days and six nights later at 4pm on Thursday 9th August 2007. elexa Consultants are proud sponsors of Russ and Jane's efforts to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation in memory of Jane's father, Geoff Powell, who died on 9th August 2004.
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The beneficiary of all of this effort is the British Heart Foundation (BHF) where Jane has set up a fund in memory of her father, Geoff. Russ's employers, elexa Consultants, as sponsors have agreed to make a substantial donation to this fund but the BHF require as much financial support as they can obtain to continue supporting research into heart disease. Please support Russ and Jane by donating as much as you can to the BHF by clicking here.
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Since deciding that they would spend part of their summer holiday walking Hadrian's Wall, Russ and Jane have received many messages of support from family and friends. Many of them asked if they could join them on part of the walk as a gesture of support, some did on the Walton to Gilsland stage, Sunday 5th August, with others on the longer Once Brewed to Wall stage on Tuesday 7th August.
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Hadrian's Wall was built on the command of the Emperor Hadrian (AD 76-138) following a visit to Britain in AD122. Construction of the stone and turf fortification probably started immediately and was mostly completed by AD 130. Easily the most significant of the three such walls built by the Romans in Britain, it was intended to impose order, prevent military raids and act as a physical frontier of empire. It is thought that the gates through the wall were also used as customs points thereby allowing the taxation of trade.
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The wall was 73.5 miles (117km) long with a varying width and height. In the west the wall was made from turf and was 20ft (6m) wide and 11.5ft (3.5m) wide. In the west it was made from squared stone and measured 9.7ft (3m) wide and 16 to 20ft (5 to 6m) high. It ran from the fort at Segedunum at Wallsend-on-Tyne to the Solway Firth. Large sections of the wall still exist particularly in the middle section and much of the wall can be followed on foot. The wall was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
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The Hadrian's Wall Path is a designated National Trail and is one of the fifteen trails in England and Wales. It can be followed east to west or west to east. It follows the wall, where possible, and is a major reason why Hadrian's Wall is the biggest tourist attraction in the North of England. If walking west to east like Russ and Jane, the route takes walkers through the salt marsh of the Solway Estuary and the rich pastures of Cumbria. It then ascends to the grazing upland section dominated by the Whin Sill escarpment. Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands (50 miles due north-east) are actually where the Whin Sill meets the North Sea. The walk continues through the farmland of Tynedale and then along the riverside route of Tyneside.
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Russ and Jane travelled to Bowness-on-Solway on Thursday 2nd August where they picked up their Hadrian's Wall Path Passports (and the first stamp) at the Kings Arms Inn that afternoon. The passport was subsequently stamped at the remaining five stamping stations along the way. They left Bowness and walked the fifteen miles to Carlisle and the second stamping station.
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Next day it was an eleven mile walk through those rich pastures of Cumbria to Walton followed the next day by seven miles to Gilsland accompanied by friends and family. Day Four saw them leave Cumbria and enter Northumberland heading for Once Brewed nine miles away. Next day it was fourteen miles to the penultimate night in Wall accompanied by more friends with a further thirteen miles on to Heddon-on-the-Wall the following day. The last day and the remaining fifteen miles of walking started with a gentle stroll down to the north bank of the River Tyne and then along the river into the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, past the Quayside (well, stopped for just a couple of swift beers!) and on to Wallsend-on-Tyne. At the fort at Segedunum they collected the final stamp in their passports along with their Completion Badges and Certificates.
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Russ and Jane would like to thank everyone who supported them during this effort. Russ said "we've been overwhelmed by the positive response to this and it made us all the more determined to complete the walk. Big thanks to everyone who contributed, from those who rang up to say 'good luck', to those who came and walked with us and those who helped in more practical ways. We'll definitely be doing another walk next summer." Jane added "we haven't finished collecting all of the sponsorship money yet but it seems like it could be a lot more than we originally anticipated. So thank you to all those who donated cash to help the British Heart Foundation." The final amount raised will be published on this website when all of the money has been collected.
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