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The morning in Alnwick dawned rather drizzly, but we didn't mind as we were heading to Hadrian's Wall, where it was overcast but dry, and the sun even made a late appearance.
Our first destination was Chesters Roma Fort. The Roman legions (well, two soldiers) were in attendance, one of whom demonstrated to GS how to make a Roman coin. Later, they were drilling new recruits but GS turned down the opportunity to join in - I think he thought the drilling boring.
However, we took part in the quest to find 6 plaques around the site and take brass rubbings. The successful completion of this task meant we both earnt a special sticker each.
A new innovation in the museum is the use of kindles to give more information on the artefacts on display. This is a great idea and although there are teething issues, I'm sure this will become a more common sight, especially as our representative of the next generation liked them.
We also took time to enjoy a lovely cream tea in the onsite cafe - the scones were delicious.
Next we ventured to Corbridge Roman Town. Although only a fraction of the remains are on display, this is a substantial site of the old town just a short march from Hadrian's Wall. The museum is full of many artefacts.
Then we moved forward a few hundred years to explore Prudhoe Castle. As well as the castle, in an upstairs activity room we were able to try our hands at quoits and toppling rather large dominoes.
As we had a bit of spare time before dinner, we went back towards Corbridge to look at Aydon Castle. This isn't really a castle but a fortified manor house. The basic fabric has remained unchanged since 1315, so gives a fascinating insight into what it was like to live here.
Then we moved on to The Swan in Heddon-on-the-Wall. Here we enjoyed a fantastic meal. To start we shared a baked Camembert. The GS then had a rump steak while I opted for fillet - both of which were cooked to perfection and accompanied by gorgeous triple-cooked chips. The GS then had what was described as a large cookie with ice cream - this was misleading as the rectangular cookie was, in fact, massive, and easily held the three scoops of ice cream plus cream. I opted for apple crumble and custard, but also had to finish the cookie. Would highly recommend this place.
We then drove back to Alnwick, high on sugar.
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