The Fingerpost at Bowness

Eighty-four-plus (includes wrong turnings) miles later I have completed walking the path of Hadrian's wall. I have learned some things and met a world of wonderful, joyous people.
This photo is from the last portion of the walk.
An old man in Port Carlisle has erected a fingerpost marking the distances to the ends of the Wall Path. He added fingers for walkers' hometowns, put a coin-slotted collection box on the post for donations, and opened his laptop for Google Maps. His open garage just across the path sheltered his computer and his box of slide-in letters. I laughed out loud at the joy of it all. Of course I stopped.
I had met Stephan and Sylive from the Czech Republic earlier on the Path at the Mithraic temple at the town of Carrawburgh (caRAWbruff) we had each stopped for a breather/water bottle/sandwich in a car park and were discussing which way the fingerposts were actually pointing. Stephan followed one sign; I followed the other. His went down the hill to the excavated temple; mine went up the hill to the unexcavated mile castle. As I was trekking downhill to the temple, Stephan was -running- uphill to the mile castle. I commented on his athleticism. He just grinned.
The final day of the walk I had taken the bus from Carlisle to Bowness and was walking back to Carlisle to catch the train back to my hostel. Stephan and Sylive had reservations in Bowness. Smiles, laughter, much shaking of hands.
At Bowness I had talked with a man who was upgrading his apartments for wall-walkers and tourists, and he gave me a tour of his project. I asked for a piece of 2x4 for PineWood-DerbyWorkshop, and he had one of the workmen cut off a foot of "four-be-two" for me. I included the block as documentation of its provenance.
Life is good.

190721

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