Let’s just get this out of the way. I was dropped off in the Housesteads car park around 9AM, ready to strike out for the day. Before departing, however, I…
Halfway Home, With a Break: Hadrian’s Wall, Part 4
To the astonishment of absolutely no one, I planned for one of my extra tourism days to coincide at the spot where I first conceived this goofy plan: Housesteads and…
That’s What I’m Talking About: Hadrian’s Wall, Part 3
No cute preamble this time, ladies and germs. I got up from an adequate night at The George Hotel (which, honestly, the hotel was lovely, on a river with a…
Gaining Elevation: Hadrian’s Wall, Part 2
The first two days of walking, physically, weren’t so bad; the preparation I had done for the past few months did enough to get me ready. Mentally, it had me…
Early Days: Hadrian’s Wall, Part 1
[I should begin with a little clarification from last week’s post. I’m not actually writing this all in real time, this trip took place in May of 2026 and we’re…
Birth of a Cockamamie idea: Hadrian’s Wall Preface
In a few days (as of this writing) I’ll be leaving my lovely home in Portugal and making my way to the wilds of northern England, not-so-coincidentally along the border…
Bordeaux, Winter 2026
Sometimes a trip can be the culmination of a life-long dream, or the realization of an important goal. Maybe you win a vacation on the Price is Right. Or, maybe…
Family Storybook: Christmas Tree Lighting
There are moments in life that get packaged into “A Tale” rather than just “a story”. You tell it practically the same way each time you share it, and you…
And Another Thing…: British Isles 2025, Part 5
Believe it or not, as meandering as the stories can get here on the Ramble, we actually do try to keep an eye on the word count and also try…
Dublin When It Drizzles: British Isles 2025, Part 4
The end of this trip is logistically the beginning. As I think has been discussed, the reason we hit the road in the first place was to end up in…
