I’m still in Northumberland. Motorway signs indicating that the A1 is closed this weekend — the road I intend to use to go home on! — means that I had to pay the blackmail-level wifi price at the hotel and get online. I have therefore posted the two conference reports that I did last night.
I need to reread them, and follow up on some of the interesting points that struck me.
I didn’t go to Hadrian’s Wall in the end this morning. Instead I went up almost as far as Lindisfarne, and then took the coast road south, past Bamburgh Castle (which didn’t open until 11am!) and down to Dunstanburgh castle. This is a mile and a half walk from the car park, and was incredibly impressive. The builder, Thomas Earl of Lancaster, was determined to show King Edward II that in the North Thomas was just as important as the king, and so built it very tall, so that it would be visible from the royal castle at Bamburgh.
I then went into Alnwick where I managed to miss the castle all together! But by then I had very sore feet from all the unaccustomed walking! Back to the hotel this afternoon. It will be good to get home, all the same.