They come in flocks, to pay homage to Hadrian.
It is a pilgrimage of sorts, they walk, they cycle, they tread the Roman way,
Along Hadrian’s wall.
All the way from Tynemouth in the East
Coast to coast, a formidable trek,
But it was our home long before it became their rite of passage.
Mum loved it here. The Solway, Port Carlisle, Bowness on Solway,
St Michaels Church- in all its 12th century glory,
Magnificent against the backdrop of late summer sun.
She would wander through the gravestones,
And ponder on the lives of those laid to rest.
Listen to the birdsong and the lap-lapping of the incoming tide.
Dad and I take her flowers, more of an amble than a walk,
We sit a while, feel the onshore breeze, look for driftwood,
Taste the salt of the outgoing tide
And wonder if Hadrian’s footsteps trod this hallowed ground before us.
One day perhaps I will walk the full length of the wall
To make my own final pilgrimage.
©Alison Jean Hankinson
This is my offering for Poetics, still blowing the cobwebs off. We needed to think about a walk. This was my outing with my Dad last week on Mum’s 15th anniversary.
d’Verse Poetics with Lillian
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Hues of Hankinson 
“Wife,mum, gran and friend” That says it all. Beautiful photos…and a beautiful and meaningful walk you’ve taken us on. Thank you.
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I can understand why you love this place. There’s nothing like the north.
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I enjoyed my beautiful walk with you. Love all the details in your poem.
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A walk with such combined personal and collective history. How rich.
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Beautifully written, captures the essence of Bowness and the significance of Hadrian’s Wall. Thank you for sharing.
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A lovely journey 💕
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This is incredibly moving! Thank you for sharing 💕
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A walk is the best way to blow the cobwebs off, Alison, and also a lovely way to honour your mum’s 15th anniversary. I haven’t visited Hadrian’s Wall yet, but it is on the list. Your recitation of place names along the way is like a prayer. Like your mum, I like to explore gravestones and always find interesting names and dates. I love the way you included sounds, the
birdsong and the’ lap-lapping of the incoming tide’. I agree with Brendan about the richness of a walk with combined personal and collective history.
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What an amazing intersection between the local place and that cementary with your family connection and that path with all its history.
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It sounds like a beautiful place, maybe tough to share with tourists. Thank you for sharing the place and your story with us.
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A walk with history, I would be there reading the headstones too, and you can almost sense their spirits with you …
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