(dramatic music) (Robson) Stretching over 80 miles, running through hills, dales, rivers, and mountains, Hadrian's Wall is a wonder of the ancient world.

You get an idea of the sheer size and scale of this gargantuan achievement.

It signaled the edge of one of the greatest empires the world has ever known.

(man) Here we've got the second in command of a Roman sentry of 80 men.

(Robson) Armed with my trusty walking boots, I'm going to travel along the entire length of this iconic monument...

This section here is known as "the heart of Hadrian's Wall."

...through rain...

Absolutely chucking it down.

...and shine...

If someone painted that view and showed you it, you wouldn't believe them.

...I learn the secrets of the Roman Empire... (Andrew) If you needed a number two, this is where you came.

(Robson) ...to the best-kept secrets of the Great British countryside.

Wow.

Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

Meeting many folk along the way.

-Keep up, Robson.

-Sorry, mate.

That's amazing!

(man) Hello!

(upbeat music) (Robson) It'll be an epic journey to take your breath away.

Oh, wow.

I'm not a religious person, but there is something spiritual about this part of the world.

So, pack your corn plasters, fill your thermos, and join me for the walk of a lifetime.

The Romans, they gave us it all.

♪ (peppy music) ♪ Now, I'm on the second leg of my journey across the beautiful Northumbrian countryside.

♪ I'm starting at Chollerford near Hexham, and my aim is to reach Walltown Crags in three days, a mere 40,000 steps.

♪ It's 20 miles of rugged landscape that a couple of millennia ago was teeming with rugged Romans.

Now, it's home to a flock of sheep, rugged sheep, mind.

♪ The wall stretches from east to west across England, from coast to coast.

But, this particular section is filled with the remains of Roman forts.

They were home to many of the 10,000 strapping soldiers on the wall, who saw off barbarians to the north and troublesome tribes to the south.

♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Just 600 steps into my journey, and I've already reached Chesters Fort, built in AD 124, clearly a time when men were men, as the soldiers here spend their time not just seeing off the enemy, but the northern weather, and all the while wearing skirts and sandals.

♪ Tour guide Laura is going to show me how the fort's Roman inhabitants braved the cold, wearing only tunics.

It doesn't bear thinking about.

So, along the wall each fort has its own unique story to tell.

What was special about this place?

(Laura) If you'd been here 2,000 years ago, there'd have been 500 cavalry men living here.

500 cavalry men and their horses would've been living on this site.

So, this would've been a really important strategic point, because it guarded the crossing -of a river.

-So, where did they all live?

(Laura) Well, there are barracks just over here.

Wanna have a look at the barracks?

(Robson) Only 20 percent of the fort has been excavated.

But, these rows of identical low walls reveal dozens of small barracks buildings side by side.

Was this area where the horses were kept, or is this where the soldiers lived?

(Laura) Well, this was a bit of both.

This was a place where there were three men and three horses, so the men lived alongside their horses.

-Really?

-Yeah, really.

When you say, "Lived alongside," didn't sleep -alongside them as well?

-They did.

-No, they didn't.

-They did.

You know, sometimes you're in bed with your partner, and then you have a little roll over?

Imagine a horse rolling over you.

You ain't gonna see tomorrow-- that's gonna leave a mark.

-That's gonna smart.

-Would've been a way of keeping warm as well, you think of the heat the horses would give off, it'd be nice.

(Robson) I'm not thinking about the heat at all, I'm thinking about the smell.

Must've been a mucky existence.

Now, you'd think, given their sleeping arrangements, that centurions would be oblivious to horse dung, but it seems not.

Every fort had its own spa.

(Laura) So, we just come through the lobby.

This is a lobby to take us into what was, in effect, the changing room.

This would've been where they would've entered, and prepared themselves to go into the bath.

(Robson) What, these are little lockers here.

(Laura) Little lockers, just like little lockers.

Like today you put your little pound coin in and turn it, or you put the wristband on.

(Laura) So, this was a place just to start to prepare yourself to get your clothes off, to put your sandals on.

You would've had wooden-- flat, wooden sandals that were sort of raised up a little bit, because everywhere here had underfloor heating.

(Robson) Well, it's so hot it would burn your feet.

(Laura) It probably would burn your feet, yeah, really hot stones.

(Robson) Did they have some sort of kind of towel to take with them?

(Laura) We don't really know, they might've had something to cover their modesty, but because this was just the blokes from the fort, this was just the Roman soldiers from the fort, maybe not.

(Robson) Just let it all hang out, Laura.

Nothing's changed there either.

(Laura) Coming here was even hotter.

-Oh.

-There was a really, really hot dry room, which would start you to sweat.

-Open up the pores.

-Start to open your pores.

-Yeah.

-And then, you would go around to one of the warm rooms, start to cover yourself in oil.

You perhaps have a servant to do that.

-Of course.

-And then, use warm water to scrape it all off to clean yourself.

(Robson) Great.

They actually did manscape.

Just when you think you've grasped who the Romans were, they slip through your fingers.

Probably all that oil.

Oh, Laura, love it.

Just wish you had have been my history teacher back then.

I do, I really wish you had.

(cheerful music) So, the Roman lesson for today is never underestimate the power of a sauna.

Although I might have to find a different solution to getting warm and clean in my tent.

♪ As I've traveled along the wall, I've been collecting stamps for my Hadrian's Wall passport.

So, here's another one to mark the way.

♪ (mellow music) But, I have a few miles to go before I set up camp, and the trail, as ever, has some pretty good chat on offer.

Where you guys from?

(man) South, near London.

-Near London?

-Nice to meet you, -I'm Robson, what's your name?

-Hi, Katrina.

-Where you from, Katrina?

-I'm from London.

(Robson) Are you walking the full length?

'Cause I was gonna say, you're gonna need more than that bonnie lad.

You need a tent and everything.

(chuckling) Are you doing the full walk?

From, like, the west to the east?

-No, so I think we started-- -Do you know where you are?

You're on Hadrian's Wall, it's a really famous wall, just in case you're lost, just in case you still think you're in London and you took a wrong left.

(Katrina) Good luck for the rest of your walk.

(Robson) Thank you, you too, enjoy.

Bye.

The wall might've been built to protect Rome from the north, but today the invasion is obviously coming from the south.

You don't just have to come here and have to learn about Roman history.

It's just one of the most beautiful walks in the world.

That's why they're here.

You know, the hustle-bustle of London they've left behind, and come to the open space and beauty of Northumberland.

You know, there's something here for everybody.

♪ (mellow music) ♪ (wondrous music) ♪ I'm just at the point where the North Tyne River intersects the wall.

Now, I should be heading west on my journey, but just look at this.

For my money, there's no better river in the world.

♪ (panting) Now, I can't travel alongside Hadrian's Wall without taking a diversion to one of my most favorite places in the world.

Now, some of you may or may not know, I like a bit of fishing, so I'm off to meet one of my best buddies, who is the self-acclaimed number one angler in Northumberland.

(blues music) ♪ And if you think of that famous film Gladiator, he's like Russell Crowe's body double, and this river is his arena.

♪ Oh, lad, as I live and breathe, James Stokoe.

-How are ya?

-Mr. Green, not bad, mate.

You've actually arrived.

I've been waiting for you, the salmon are waiting for you.

-I know, but how many ya caught?

-None yet.

(Robson) Do you want me to go to the bothy and get changed, and then come back and show you how it's done?

-Is that what you're saying?

-Yeah, someone has to.

(Robson) Man, I've given you the big build-up.

-Yes, I know you have.

-You're gonna look pretty daft if you didn't catch.

(soft guitar music) (burbling) ♪ Right, time to get kitted out and back to catch some of those trout or salmon I know are hiding there.

He's a good-looking fellow, isn't he?

♪ I would love it if I caught one and he didn't.

I would love it, he'd never get over it.

He'd need therapy.

Because he's a world-class fisherman and a fishing guide on this river, he's even got flies named after him.

♪ All these here, they're actually named after Stokoe.

They're the Stokoe Shrimp, and they're very, very good.

There's only one fly in my book.

Right there, it's called a Calvin Shrimp, designed by Ross Macdonald, and I have caught 95 percent of my fish with this fly, and I've not told Stokoe I've got loads of them.

(rustling) I've got loads.

He's not getting one.

(blues music) ♪ (James) Hey, mate, there's a load of fish showing here.

I'm telling you now.

They're not touching anything at the minute, but it's a good start.

They're here, which is the most important thing.

Just the anglers.

(chuckling) ♪ -You all right, bud?

-Yeah, it's all right.

-I shouldn't laugh, but I did.

-Oh, stop laughing.

I'm old, okay?

I'm old.

♪ And in fact it's been 20-odd years since me and James first stepped into this river to fish.

But, mate, you and me have been fishing together, we have had some amazing times on this water.

(James) And the stories we have, the fish we've caught.

I mean, these fish are quite comparable to yourself.

Well traveled, they've got an air of elegance.

-Oh, here we go.

-Sought after.

-Uh-huh.

-Silver.

-Oh, why?

-And they can be the most annoying thing on the planet.

It's just like spending a day with yourself.

(Robson) I like the fish analogy, James.

So, putting our angling rivalry to one side for just one second.

So, going back to Roman times, would this river have been a good source of protein for most of the Roman soldiers?

(James) This river would've been a lifeline.

I mean, it's not a coincidence that the wall has been built parallel to this river.

You've got a source of water and a source of food, and I would give anything to be back in those days to see what this river was like.

-Really?

-It's good now, it's the best river in England and Wales, but we just don't have anywhere near the numbers of fish that they would've had at that time.

So, you would've had salmon, you would've had trout, (James) Ah, the--well, it's endless.

Trout, salmon, sea trout, eels, chub, pike.

-Now, the--yeah, pike.

-Pike?

-There was pike in the Tyne?

-There was pike in the Tyne, and when you get one, honestly there's no greater sensation.

They do say, "The tug is a drug."

And no matter where you are or who you're with-- but it is important who you're with.

(James) When you've got a friend, like yourself, who can come and you can out-fish them, -it's even better.

-Is that the scenario -that's gonna play out today?

-Well, may-- (Robson) Mate, you have talked this up so much, and I've begged you up so much.

Mate, it's just an accident waiting to happen.

(James) Let's let the fish do the talking.

-Come on then I'll go up-- -Get yourself in without falling in.

Here we go.

(tranquil music) ♪ (sloshing) ♪ Fishing isn't just a hobby for me and James.

It is an absolute obsession.

It's an addiction, a love, an absolute everything.

♪ Hadrian's Wall is just over the hill from here, so I wonder how many Romans came down for a spot of fishing at the end of a stressful day guarding the wall.

♪ Although today the fish do seem to be in rather short supply.

♪ James has just suggested that I start singing, so the fish'll throw themselves on the bank, you know?

Mate, three number ones, I rest my case.

Kept Oasis off the number one spot, and Elton John and David Bowie.

Your main mark.

I was banking on a bit of salmon for my dinner on the campfire.

Stokoe, what are you playing at?

Where are the fish?

♪ (burbling) Do you imagine 2,000 years ago we were Roman soldiers?

We've gotta provide for our families.

-Mate, we'd be sacked.

-Sacked?

-Disowned.

-Absolutely, wives would've left us.

-Mate, I'll settle for a trout.

-Mate, I would settle -for a minnow.

-Have you--?

(James) Literally anything that's got a fin on it, please.

-Please.

-Oh wee man.

But, we are anglers, we actually do catch fish.

-Don't we, James?

-Um, most of the time.

(Robson) After three hours, it's time to admit defeat.

With no dinner caught for tonight and my manhood definitely dented, I realize I'd make a rotten Roman.

(upbeat music) ♪ I'm back pounding the path by the beautiful Hadrian's Wall, now almost halfway along its 84-mile length.

♪ So far my journey's taken me from Chollerford to the River North Tyne.

The route will eventually lead to Walltown Crags.

♪ But, my target this morning is Halstead's Fort, 8 miles away.

(quirky music) At this point I really need to get a wriggle on if I'm to get ahead of the weather.

I don't really have time to stop and chat to this couple, but I do.

It's not what you call overcrowded around here, is it?

But then, of course, the heavens open.

Four seasons in one day.

I try some amateur weather forecasting.

My grandma used to say, "Red sky at night, shepherd's delight.

Red sky in the morning, shepherd's delight."

Bonkers, my grandma.

But, it rained so much the crew pack up, and I am left alone with my selfie stick.

Kinda discovered today I don't like my own company.

After miles of sheep, I pass some cows.

Slow progress is better than no progress at all.

Failure is not an option.

Mind you, I do need a wee.

♪ (rustling) And after a close encounter with some nettles, the Northumberland weather closes in.

(blues music) ♪ Thank God for waterproof trousers.

♪ (chuckling) Do you know what it is?

Oh, I so wanted to say that view over there is beyond beautiful, but it's a bit bleak today.

But, there is a beauty in its bleakness.

It has been absolutely chucking it down all morning.

But, as my mom always say, "When it rains, just let it rain, and a rainy day outdoors is better than a sunny day indoors."

A bit of a philosopher, my mom.

She had lots of sayings, my favorite being: "Any man who wears a bulletproof jacket cannot complain if he gets his old fella shot off."

(energetic rock music) 8,000 steps and 3 rain showers later, I arrive at Northumberland National Park.

♪ 400 square miles of sparsely populated countryside, looked after by only a handful of very busy rangers.

♪ (indistinct remarks) And I'm meeting Margaret, who's one of them.

I've never met a ranger from Northumberland National Park.

-Your lucky day.

-So, what does a ranger do?

Kind of all sorts to be honest.

I mean, I'm here today, we're putting this fingerpost.

-So, this one's been broken.

-Do you want a hand?

(Margaret) Well, since you offered, yep, there you go.

Grab your gloves, they're just in the back there.

(Robson) Well, I was actually just gonna supervise, because, you know, I've got a bad back, but-- (Margaret) That's all right, I'm sure you'll manage.

I didn't know.

Of course they're called fingerposts.

I didn't know it was called a fingerpost, 'cause it points in the right direction.

Thought it was a sign post.

Every day is a school day on this adventure.

-There you go, Robson.

-Thanks very much.

-You're welcome.

-Okay, so, um, what do I do?

(Margaret) Like, okay, what you're gonna do, with your shovel there, just clean out the land here, -so just a wee bit at a time.

-All right.

Oh, you're in supervisory capacity now?

-Yeah, yeah, totally, yeah.

-Yeah, you're like -a cock of the works.

-All right.

(Robson) Got ya.

This is the hardest work I've had to do in years.

Is it time for a tea break yet?

(Margaret) Now we're getting a bit further down, -what I want you to do-- -What'd I just tell you?

I was digging away.

But I thought, hey, I found something here.

(Margaret) Yeah, the other bit of the post.

(Robson) It's the bottom of the post.

All right, it might be a post to you, but this could've been a Vindolanda Tablet for all you know.

It's a massive job, not just maintaining the trail, but protecting the public as they make their way along the wall.

I have struck-- I've struck water here, or it's oil.

(Margaret) There ya go.

-Lovely.

-And there ya have it.

I've done a good job then, haven't I?

(Margaret) You have not done too badly for a first attempt, I'll give you that, Robson, yeah, right.

We'll get the post and we'll see what it's like in the hole.

-A fingerpost.

-Yeah.

(Robson) There's around 180 fingerposts along the 84 miles of the path to keep the thousands of tourists who visit the wall every year on the right track.

(exhaling) -There ya go.

-Excellent.

(Robson) So, the next time I walk past a fingerpost, I'll appreciate the hard work that's gone into it.

-Yep.

-And do you mind when I'm walking with my friends, I'll go, "I put that in with Margaret, the Northumberland National Park ranger."

Not at all, you take credit for that one.

(Robson) Thank you very much.

All right.

-Which way is the path?

-There, that way.

(whirring) (sighing) (whirring) (pleasant music) (exhaling heavily) (clinking) -See ya, Margaret!

-See ya!

(chuckling) (Robson) Of course, in Roman times, you wouldn't need a sign post to ask directions, because there'd literally be thousands of soldiers patrolling the wall.

But now, it's mostly sheep.

♪ Okay, it's time for a comfort break, Roman style.

♪ Halstead's is one of the best preserved forts in the whole of the Roman Empire, and Andrew Poad from the National Trust is going to give me a tour of the facilities.

♪ Am I right in thinking this is the best preserved Roman toilet in Great Britain?

(Andrew) It is, yep.

The most important place in the fort.

If you needed a number two, this is where you came.

-Really?

-800 soldiers in here, and probably quite a queue in the mornings.

And how many does this particular toilet seat then?

Oh, you probably get about 20 people in here.

And this communal toilet block wasn't just special because of the volume of bottoms it was accommodating.

It's an example of, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest things the Romans have ever invented.

(Andrew) But, it is a flushing toilet, a flushing toilet to the same standard as you would get in Rome.

(Robson) Now, it's not an easy thing inventing the plumbing for a toilet.

For a start, out here on the northern frontier, they didn't just have water on tap, if you'll excuse the pun.

They relied on what we now call gray water.

Collect all the water off all the roofs, and it would all feed down to this point here, the lowest point in the fort.

(Robson) So, the Romans harnessed Northumberland's greatest resource, the rain, genius.

(Andrew) So, you'd make your way in, and there'd be wooden benches either side here with holes cut in them for you to sit on.

Well, this channel here would've had water -running through it.

-Constantly.

(Andrew) Constantly, we call that the sponge channel, um, because they didn't have toilet paper.

They probably wouldn't have had sponges in Northumberland, but they might've had sphagnum moss, or something like that to use.

(Robson) Okay, so I'm a centurion, those figs are playing havoc with my stomach, and what?

I just hang over here?

(Andrew) Position yourself there, there would be a wooden bench with a hole in it for you to perch on.

-And just sit in?

-And just sit.

That's it, and off you go.

That's great.

All right, Brian, yeah, had a good night on the wall?

See any barbarians?

No--oh, you had the figs as well?

I know, playing bloody havoc.

So, I've done my business, Andrew, -and that's a load off my mind.

-Good.

(Robson) And I've wiped my bum with a sponge or a bit of moss.

-Yep.

-What would I--what would I do with the sponge, would I just dip it in vinegar or something -to clean it?

-We don't know, in all honesty, but there was--it's rumored there was a punishment that you could be made to publically suck the sponge if you'd been, um, -a naughty soldier.

-What?

-Yeah.

-Ah, that's horrible.

-Oh, no, I was having-- -But, we're not gonna -make you do that.

-I know--well, I wouldn't do it anyway, I'd get shouting to my agent.

Anyway, so, and the waste product would just be washed away down here very cleverly, -because of the design.

-And it's carried out through the fort wall and out into the fields.

-To fertilize the land.

-Yeah, good bit-- -good bit of recycling.

-Clever, those Romans, -weren't they?

-Very clever.

-Bloomin' clever, man.

-Yeah.

(exhaling heavily) (upbeat music) (Robson) I think it says a lot about a civilization how seriously it takes its toilet arrangements.

And to think all that incredible engineering they've passed on to us, so we can flush today.

♪ On that note, I think it might be time for me to retire.

All this talk of conveniences has made me hanker after a night in a fancy hotel.

But instead, I have to make do with.

Oh, I love a bit of camping.

What is there not to like about camping?

You know?

You're at one with nature.

Closer to the countryside.

However, you are further away from a nice cozy bed, a hot shower, and a flushing toilet.

Right, hopefully this won't take long.

(peppy music) ♪ All right, hang on, hang on, hang on.

(clinking) (whistling) ♪ That wind is picking up.

This could take off.

♪ No!

♪ (grunting) Ow!

I just stabbed myself in the leg.

Jesus.

I just put the peg in my leg.

♪ Hey, I'm losing pints here.

How hilarious.

♪ (grunting) Ta-da!

This here could end up way over there through the night with me in it.

TV gold.

(chuckling) (pleasant music) (birds chirping) (soft guitar music) ♪ It's day two on this leg of my journey, and I wouldn't describe sleeping under canvas as a highlight.

♪ I think the bottom line is I've got camper van envy.

♪ (zipping) ♪ (sizzling) I wouldn't say I had a good night's sleep.

I'm not gonna say I had a bad night's sleep.

(yawning) It was bloody awful.

Just wind and rain.

(blues music) I'll need a good breakfast because I've got some serious walking to do today.

I'm hoping the views will keep me going, as I'll be climbing up past the spectacular crags at Whin Sill, to the wall's highest point at Steel Rigg.

♪ Fingers crossed the weather holds.

(thundering) (rain pattering) My fair-weather friends, the crew, run for cover again with some lame excuse about keeping the equipment dry.

So, it's me and my selfie stick again.

Ah, that's more like it.

This is the Northumberland I know and love.

Absolutely chucking it down.

Oh-ho-ho!

Sun was shining this morning, which was delicious, and now it's chucking it down with rain.

(ambient music) I think I'm gonna need a bigger coat.

♪ Ooh.

♪ Now, there's a sight for sore eyes.

The world-famous Great Whin Sill.

♪ Created millions of years ago during a cataclysmic geological event, and created that formation we see today.

♪ Utterly jaw dropping.

♪ Geologists reckon this landscape was once a sea of molten lava, which burst up to the Earth's surface.

♪ And the Romans took advantage of the jaggy landscape that was left behind, because the hardened lava created strong foundations for the wall.

♪ And there is no better spot along the wall to have a cup a tea than the location at the bottom of this hill.

In my opinion, it is the most beautiful spot in Great Britain.

And because of the view, or the promise of a tea break, the crew decide to come back.

Fair-weather friends.

♪ Sycamore Gap, named for obvious reasons, is almost exactly halfway along the wall, and the tree itself is one of the most photographed trees in Britain, though how they know that, I have no idea.

Mm, and this location is famous for many reasons.

The tree, not so long ago, was voted best tree in England.

But, it's probably best known for making an appearance in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring the one and only Kevin Costner.

And it's now known for Robson Green having a cup of tea next to it.

Doesn't have the same ring, though, does it?

I can't compete with Kev.

Mom says I look like him, though.

(blues music) Onwards and upwards.

♪ Breakfast seems like such a long time ago, and my rumbling tummy makes me think of the legionaries who lived here.

They say an army marches on its stomach, and Romans' rations, like everything else about them, seemed to be imaginative and versatile.

In fact, they may have invented fusion cuisine.

♪ With the Romans being in Britain came many wondrous things, including carrots, cabbages, and plums.

Strange but true.

And believe it or not, the beautiful landscape of Northumberland provided a natural pantry of its very own right on their doorstep.

(pleasant music) And dinner is still being foraged for by wild food enthusiasts like Linus and Louise Morton, just as it was by the Romans.

♪ (Linus) They call this the marmite plant, because you either love it or you hate it.

If you wanna grab yourself some.

I think the leaves on this is as close to roast beef as you're gonna get on a plant.

That actually smells like roast beef.

It does.

-It's mad.

-That's insane.

(Linus) Yeah.

Smells like beef.

(Linus) So, I use this as a herb, so, you know, you mix it with a salad, so you're having it as a flavoring and amongst other things.

-You love it or hate it?

-Yeah.

Well, I'm going with the latter.

-Okay.

-It doesn't taste like beef.

-Might smell it.

-Yeah.

♪ (Robson) Yeah, I'm just looking 'round, seeing a lot of dark leaves.

-Oh, we got-- -Oh.

(Linus) Um, bush vetch, it's a member of the pea family.

This one tastes just like pea shoots.

-Really?

-Yeah.

(Robson) What, just like Herb Robert tasting like beef?

(Linus) Um, I think this is closer to peas, yeah.

-This is a genuine pea.

-Oh, okay, really?

(Robson) Okay, let's see if it tastes like a pea then.

♪ Oh, my goodness, they do.

Well, what do you know?

(Linus) This is, uh--its common name is Jack by the Hedge, but its other name is garlic mustard, and it does exactly what it says on the tin, tastes of garlic mustard.

(Robson) Mate, I've had roast beef, I've had pea shoots.

Well, who knew you could get all the flavors of your nan's Sunday roast just from a few hedgerow plants?

It doesn't smell like garlic or mustard.

Does mustard have a smell?

Yes, it does, yeah.

♪ -Garlic mustard.

-Garlic mustard.

It's garlic mustard!

(indistinct remarks) What a picture that must've been, those burly Romans picking dainty flowers in the hedgerows.

(quirky music) Fortified by a few carefully chosen leaves, I'm back on the trail, and today's hike is going to be strenuous.

It's time to take on the mountain.

(exhaling heavily) (labored breathing) Heartrate's gone up a bit.

That's because I'm heading for the famous Steel Rigg.

There are a lot of riggs around here, all hills named from the old Scots' word for "ridge," but this is the biggest.

Oh, I think climbing Steel Rigg as a young person is a game I think.

Oh, God.

(panting) ♪ I do like a challenge.

What was it Edmund Hillary said?

"It's not the mountain you conquer, but yourself."

♪ Clearly I'm not climbing Everest like he was, but let's face it, he had a Sherpa to carry his bag.

(exhaling heavily) This ain't gonna be easy.

Just take your time and enjoy the view.

(labored breathing) ♪ Oh, wow.

I tell you, if someone painted that view and showed you it, you wouldn't believe them.

(breathing deeply) I'm at the highest point in my journey.

How do I know that?

'Cause this here is the trig point.

(panting) And to think I've come all the way from over there, as far as the eye can see.

(breathing deeply) I'm not a religious person, but, there is something spiritual about this part of the world.

There really is.

(uplifting music) Just makes your heart sing, man.

♪ (exhaling heavily) ♪ (pleasant music) (upbeat music) ♪ I'm 13 miles, or 33,000 steps into this leg of my journey, and I feel the Romans are beginning to get under my skin.

♪ Time to dig a little deeper, which is an archaeological joke, by the way.

Oh, nevermind.

♪ If there is one place on this journey that continues to bring the past back to life, it's where I'm headed now.

50 years ago something was discovered there that completely redefined the way we view an entire empire.

(breathing heavily) (whimsical music) ♪ The Vindolanda Fort is the only one along the wall where there is a live archaeological dig, and it's supervised by a friend of mine, Dr. Andrew Birley.

Under Andrew's supervision, they've dug up fascinating artifacts that help us understand day-to-day Roman life.

(Dr. Birley) Well, we found thousands of shoes since you were last here, Robson.

(Robson) Yeah, yeah, I heard you found a sword in its scabbard.

(Dr. Birley) We've got a sword in its scabbard, and a sword outside its scabbard, and in the room next door-- beat this-- something we'd never expect to find in a million years, a set of boxing gloves made of leather.

-Boxing gloves?

-Boxing gloves.

-Leather boxing gloves.

-The only surviving boxing gloves from the whole Roman Empire.

(Robson) Today is my lucky day, because I've been invited to help at the dig.

Hopefully I'll hit the jackpot.

Though, I'm having to share this potential treasure trove with Dr. Trudi Buck, a forensic archaeologist, who specializes in human bones.

Trudi, how are ya?

-I'm good, thank you.

-Lovely to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

(Robson) So, this man is artifacts.

Am I right in saying you're dead people?

I'm dead people, absolutely.

(Robson) So, if you came across skeletal remains, are you able to tell the sex of the person, the age of the person?

(Dr. Buck) If you've got a skull, and usually if you got teeth, you can tell where they're from.

Teeth are really good, because they-- they preserve very well, and they're the hardest substance in the body, so you can get DNA from them, you can get isotopes from them, and from that you can tell stuff about their background, where they grew up.

(Robson) But, the most famous find of recent years, one that altered our whole perception of Roman life wasn't human bones.

It was a pile of remarkably preserved letters that have come to be known as the Vindolanda Tablets.

-All the drains.

-If you a letter that somebody's left not for you, but for somebody else from 2,000 years ago, every single word has a resonance which cuts through 2,000 years ago and is a window into the soul of the person who wrote it, and that's incredibly special.

Trudi looks at the bones, and they can give you a lot of information, but you can't get that person's opinion from their bones.

(Robson) The letters are very personal to Andrew.

In fact, you could say it's a family affair, because it was Andrew's dad who found the very first tablet back in 1973.

And he found it by accident.

He was working hard in very deep excavation, and he picked up a little oily piece of wood that caught his eye, and we don't know why, but he rubbed his two fingers together and it came apart, and as he peeled it apart, just out of curiosity, it was covered in ink writing.

And that tablet is still today-- it's one of the most special, because it's somebody sending a package to their son in Vindolanda from home and they're saying what's in the package.

They're saying there's a couple pairs of socks, couple pairs of shoes, and two sets of underpants.

This is the first reference to the underpants ever in Roman Britain, but it's also the only evidence we've ever found that Romans wore them.

(Robson) While we're talking, something really odd happens.

Um, I think I found something, it feels like metal.

(Dr. Birley) Pass it to Dr. Buck, she'll be able to -let you know.

-It's certainly not bone.

If it is bone, it's the bionic man.

No, I think that is a-- the head of a large nail.

(Dr. Birley) Very chunky nail, good, all right, he's off.

(Robson) Mate, how much is it worth?

Hey, we're talking--hey, man.

This is Antiques Roadshow time now.

We're not letting you melt it down, and you can't take it home, it's gotta go in the museum.

(chuckling) (Robson) So, this is my Vindolanda Tablet, this nail.

-This is my discovery.

-You know what?

This makes me wanna be an archaeologist.

Well, if it does, then its the most important nail you'll have ever found.

It'd be nice to find some cash, though, wouldn't it?

(laughing) (upbeat music) ♪ I've got seven miles to go from Vindolanda to my final destination at Walltown Crags, and my feet are aching.

♪ Now, this section here is known as the heart of Hadrian's Wall.

That's what it is about this place, it just works its way under your skin and gets into your heart, and I promise you, if you come here, it'll stay there forever.

And a lot of it has to do with the views north and south.

Over here you've got the beautiful Cheviot Hills.

You have Northumberland's extraordinary National Park, and of course, the famous Pennine Way, and to the south you've got the stunning South Tyne Valley.

(panting) And to think I was born here, and I live here.

(triumphant music) ♪ Spurred on by the scenery, and mulling over all my brilliantly close encounters with the Romans, the saunas, the toilets, the postcards, and underpants, Walltown Crags comes into view.

It's the final destination for this leg of the journey, and it's spectacular.

♪ But, I have one last thing to do.

Because it has next to no light pollution, Northumberland is one of the best places in Europe to get a clear view of the stars.

(ambient music) So, it's time to look up.

♪ I'm not the only one who's here after dark.

Naz, an astronomer from the nearby Kielder Observatory, is pulling a night shift.

Though, I have no idea how she brought that on the bus.

Well, my goodness.

-Evening.

-Hello.

(Robson) Here's something you don't see every evening.

-12-inch reflector?

-Yes, correct.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

I've got a 6-inch Russian telescope back home, -6-inch reflector.

-Nice, yeah.

(Robson) Naz wanted to be an astronomer since she was a little girl in Iran.

(Naz) When I a kid, my granddad would constantly ask me to point out the moon in the sky, and then I got my first telescope when I was 7, and then just-- was just amazed at the fact that I could see these planets through my telescope.

Anything going on in the heavens above Northumberland -this evening?

-Uh, there's a few things going on, yeah.

I'm here to look at shooting stars, but also we've got a few of the planets in the sky tonight as well.

Would you like to come have a look through the telescope?

(Robson) I thought you'd never ask.

(Naz) So, we are-- we're just having a look at Jupiter.

(atmospheric music) There we go.

Just look in through the eye piece there.

(Robson) Wow.

Wow, that's incredible.

That's really, really clear.

(Naz) Yeah.

(Robson) There's something quite comforting in the thought that, although our civilization has changed beyond all recognition in the 2,000 years since the wall was built, if you look up, some things have barely changed at all.

So, in terms of Roman life along here... -Yeah.

-...the centurions guarding the wall, looking into the Northumbrian night sky, would see exactly what we're seeing tonight, -wouldn't they?

-Yeah, basically the exact same thing.

The planets might have been in a slightly different position, but in terms of stars, the stars would've been in the exact same place.

Most of the planets are named after the Roman gods.

At that time, there wasn't a sort of distinction between mythology and astronomy.

It kinda both became the same thing.

The stars were their gods.

Jupiter is the king of the gods.

-Yes.

-It was named after Jove, so.

(Robson) And you've got--you got Venus, -the goddess of love.

-Yeah, love and beauty.

(Robson) You got Mars, god of war, and Saturn, god of agriculture.

-Yeah-- -That doesn't have -the same ring, does it?

-Not quite, no.

(ambient music) (Robson) Do you think, by design, we're meant to stare at the heavens?

Because I was told at a very early age, 'cause that's what we're made of.

-Yeah.

-We're made of stars.

-We're made of star dust.

-We are, yeah, we are made of star stuff.

Chemicals that make up our bodies have come from the insides of stars.

It's always going to be a very human thing to look at the skies and wonder about where we came from, and what the stars are, and what we can learn about what's out there, because it's so unknown, and I think people wanna know more about what's out there.

♪ (Robson) Okay, after the vast universe, it's time for the tiny tent.

♪ (owl hooting) (clicking) (yawning) What a day coming across incredible stories about Roman history in a way that I kinda never came across at school, and it's just the best thing to be alongside, you know, people who can be passionate, and committed, and really enjoy their subject, and enjoy talking about their subject because they love it.

It's a lovely thing to be alongside.

I'm really, really enjoying that.

And to think there's more to come.

Can't wait.

(clicking) (rooster crowing) Oh, come on.

Next time, I discover some revealing Roman graffiti.

-It's a willy.

-It's a what?

-It's a phallic symbol.

-I get to grips with some Cumbrian cuisine.

I've got a kink in my sausage, David, hang on.

And I reach the sky.

(whirring) (upbeat music) ♪