Hadrian's Wall on England-Scotland Borders Awaits Hiking Lovers

In this July 3, 2018 photo, a stretch of Hadrian's Wall cuts
through the northern English countryside, near Birdoswald Fort,
Cumbria. (AP Photo/Jerry Harmer)
In this July 3, 2018 photo, a stretch of Hadrian's Wall cuts through the northern English countryside, near Birdoswald Fort, Cumbria. (AP Photo/Jerry Harmer)
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Hadrian's Wall on England-Scotland Borders Awaits Hiking Lovers

In this July 3, 2018 photo, a stretch of Hadrian's Wall cuts
through the northern English countryside, near Birdoswald Fort,
Cumbria. (AP Photo/Jerry Harmer)
In this July 3, 2018 photo, a stretch of Hadrian's Wall cuts through the northern English countryside, near Birdoswald Fort, Cumbria. (AP Photo/Jerry Harmer)

The Hadrian's Wall is one of many remains of fortifications built by the Roman Empire after invading Britain in the second century A.D.

The wall's original structure stretched over 73 mile (117 kilometers) within the English countryside, near the borders between modern Scotland and England. It extends in the west and the east, from Wallsend and Newcastle to the River Tame in the East.

The Roman soldiers constructed it in six years starting from the eastern side. The wall is enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered a popular tourist landmark. It was originally built upon the orders of Emperor Hadrian in 122 A.D. to support thousands of troops deployed to watch the borders with Scotland.

Hiking lovers can walk this path in both directions, and those who have time can start their hike from Carlisle in Solway Firth, a water outlet that separates Scotland and England.

Experts suggest the best hiking route is the one extending from Carlisle or Haltwhistle to Corbridge. Hikers who take it would need three to five days to reach Newcastle, according to the German News Agency.

On the path's sides, hikers would see green pastures, rocky hills, and some grey rural houses that appear on their way. They would also enjoy a soothing scene of cattle pasturing under the trees. Haltwhistle, which marks the middle of the itinerary, is a 700-year-old town that still features ancient rural houses known as "Bastle" that are open to the public. These houses were constructed by locals in the 16th and 17th centuries amid constant threats by the soldiers dominating England and Scotland.

It is thought that the Hadrian's Wall was the inspiration behind the famous ice wall separating the seven fictional kingdoms from the wild lands beyond in George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones.

The great appeal to walk along the Hadrian's Wall is partly attributed to the banners spread along the road, in addition to the scenery that accompanies the hikers during their trip, and not to the wall itself. The itinerary extends between the hills and valleys, and passes by fields full of cattle, animals, and flowers.



Victory for Prince Harry as Murdoch Papers Admits Wrongdoing by Sun 

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex steps out of a car, outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 7, 2023. (Reuters)
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex steps out of a car, outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 7, 2023. (Reuters)
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Victory for Prince Harry as Murdoch Papers Admits Wrongdoing by Sun 

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex steps out of a car, outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 7, 2023. (Reuters)
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex steps out of a car, outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 7, 2023. (Reuters)

Prince Harry settled his privacy claim against Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper group on Wednesday after the publisher admitted unlawful actions at its Sun tabloid for the first time, bringing the fiercely-contested legal battle to a dramatic end.

In a stunning victory for Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles, News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, also admitted it had intruded into the private life of his late mother, Princess Diana.

Harry's lawyer, David Sherborne, said the publisher had agreed to pay the prince substantial damages. A source familiar with the settlement said it involved an eight-figure sum.

Harry had been suing NGN at the High Court in London, accusing its newspapers of unlawfully obtaining private information about him from 1996 until 2011.

The trial to consider the royal's case, and a similar lawsuit from former senior British lawmaker Tom Watson, was due to start on Tuesday but following last-gasp talks, the two sides reached a settlement, with NGN saying there had been wrongdoing at The Sun, something it had denied for years.

"NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun," Sherborne said.

"NGN further apologizes to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years."

ACCOUNTABILITY

NGN has paid out hundreds of millions of pounds to victims of phone-hacking and other unlawful information gathering by the News of the World, and settled more than 1,300 lawsuits involving celebrities, politicians, well-known sports figures and ordinary people who were connected to them or major events.

But it had always rejected any claims that there was wrongdoing at The Sun newspaper, or that any senior figures knew about it or tried to cover it up, as Harry's lawsuit alleges.

Harry said his mission was to get the truth and accountability, after other claimants settled cases to avoid the risk of a multi-million-pound legal bill that could be imposed even if they won in court but rejected NGN's offer.

He said the reason he had not settled was because his lawsuit was not about money, but because he wanted the publishers' executives and editors to be held to account and to admit their wrongdoing.