There are angels in the north,
Arms held wide to welcome
The cross carriers and thorn bearers
Both the first and the last.

I met my first two wall walkers, an American couple, at St Peters Basin, a marina East of Newcastle City Centre. After that there as a small glut of them for a bit, they having left Wallsend a hour or two ago, about the same time I left the city centre.
The river was quiet, only gulls as a background, calling like they do. Here and there a bankside activity, a factory still in operation or a building site for a new development. There were plenty of ripe blackberries on this section of the route.
The rain started just before Wallsend. There a small detour off the track to the bath house that was uncovered more recently. The best thing at Segedunum is the viewing tower which looks out over the whole site and shows how it has changed in two thousand years.
I decided to go onto Arbeia, the Roman fort in South Shields. Taking local advice I took the metro from Wallsend to North Shields. Then a short walk to the passenger ferry across the Tyne. The rain was more persistent but I got to Arbeia, where it is thought a company of Roman Arabs from Iraq were originally station in what was a storage fort for supplies for the rest of the Wall.
As it was rather wet by now I got a taxi down to Sandra’s mum’s house, where I am stopping tonight. A warm welcome awaited me of course. A total walk of 9 miles today: I am pleased with that.

In our coming and our going
The Peace of God