Well we didn’t do too much walking, but I am now in a position to write the definitive guide to Hadrian’s Wall Teashops.

Hadrian’s been busy lately. He’s had a hotel in the village of Wall for years, but now he’s been starring in an exhibition at the British Museum whilst finding time to organise a footpath, tarmac his own Cycle Trail, set up a bus service and bake biscuits for the tourist shops. All of this is marvellous for those of us who want easy access and good facilities – altho’ in places he’s been the victim of his own success, and his footpath looks more like the scene in ‘Dances with Wolves’ where Kevin Costner surveys the brown swathe cut across the prairie by herds of migrating buffalo.

Speaking of Kevin Costner, we paid our usual homage at Sycamore Gap, famously used as a location in ‘Robin Hood Prince of Thieves’. A photo will appear somewhere here eventually. This was the film in which the world discovered that Robin could walk from Dover to Hadrian’s Wall in an afternoon – a feat which surpassed even the Roman Army. Presumably there were no tempting teashops on the way.

Off to visit Guildford Book Festival tomorrow, then Chester Literature Festival on Thursday. Details are on the diary page. If you’re around, please come and say hello.