Photographs of Hadrian's Wall from Chesters to Housesteads

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Once back on the top of the hills above the river valley of the North Tyne, Hadrian's Wall is much more prominent. The wall is accompanied by a steep ditch on the north side, making it harder for the Picts to get up close, and a Vallum on the south side. In a similar way to the militarised zone along any modern border, the vallum probably marked the edge of the area monitored by the soldiers to the south of the wall.
At Blackcarts Turret there is a better preserved stretch of the wall with a clear view of the ditch on the north side. Near Carrawburgh fort (Procolitia) stands a fascinating temple to the eastern god Mithras, with facsimiles of altars found during excavation. Sited like many Mithraic temples near a military base, it was founded in the 3rd century, and eventually desecrated, probably by Christians.