Head's Blog: Hadrian's Wall (and the power of sisterhood and the great outdoors)

In 122 C.E. the Emperor Hadrian, with whom I share both a name and a birthday, commanded that a wall be constructed across the stretch of Northern England where it is at its narrowest. It was still a remarkable 73 miles long, marked with regular milecastles and forts and garrison towns. The aim was to control movement and trade and to provide a bulwark against attempted invasions by the Northern tribes. Despite the spirited rebellions from Queen Boudica of the Iceni and Queen Cartimandua of the Brigantes, England had been subdued and the wall marked the Northern outpost of the Roman Empire. 

Perhaps it is nominative determinism that attracts me to this part of the world but this summer I returned to Northumbria to walk a few sections of the wall with my sister. Beginning in sunny Newcastle (seriously!) our walk took in multiple terrains until we ended up at Lanercost Priory in Cumbria three days later in the middle of one of several biblical rainstorms. The walk did not fail to deliver – spectacular views, arduous climbs and giddy descents and all with a sense of a ‘thin place’ where the border between the present and the past was not so definitely drawn. It did not take much imagination to empathise with those legionaries brought to Britannia from Spain and Syria two thousand years ago. If you’ve never been, go – it’s wonderful!

However, one of my main reasons for this expedition was to spend some uninterrupted time with my sister. Although we are close, I am not sure that we’ve been able to have that many uninterrupted conversations in the years since our families came along. It was great to reconnect, reminisce, make sense of our past and present and generally just chat in such a dramatic setting. 

This trip comes to mind as it aligns with two aspects of the Royal High that were particularly prescient this week. Firstly, sisterhood. At the MFL Karaoke event and in Thursday’s Monologue Slam we saw the power and difference of a girls’ only environment. At these competitions there was no negative judgment, instead there was a palpable feeling of encouragement and support as students from across year groups put themselves on the line. The good humour and sense of fun was buoyed up by the sisterhood and both the light-hearted and the emotionally taxing monologue performances were given the seriousness they deserved. 

Secondly, the restorative power of the great outdoors. As Mr Hardcastle said in staff briefing – it is getting cold and wet, so it must be time for the Bronze DofE assessed expedition! We are proud of the numbers of girls’ who choose to involve themselves in the scheme from Bronze to Gold. Thirty eight intrepid Year 10 students will head to the New Forest this weekend, backpacks and all. I know that this will be a formative and memorable experience for them. They will have time to cement their friendships, talk about anything and everything and derive great health benefits, both physical and mental, from being in the great outdoors. We wish them all the best. 

I wish all our families and boarders a good exeat weekend and hope you can also consider getting outside into nature and feeling its restorative power; from the way the weather is looking I would definitely pick Saturday.