Hey people,
I hope we are all well and having a good hump day wherever you are in the world. Today's post marks an exciting occasion for me and something I've been working towards for a while now...my first ever post in the Wednesday Walk community! 'Why would this guy be so excited? Lots of people share their Wednesday walks.' you may ask...well let me explain.
The reason behind this excitement may seem strange to some but for me it is quite simple. Walking anywhere has almost become a foreign concept to me! This is because until a couple of weeks ago I had only left the house once in the past 2 and a half years due a severe anxiety disorder that I have been dealing with in one way or another for most of my adult life.
That being the pretext, I don't intend on going too deep in to that here. Mostly due to my desire to do so in a future post where I will share my story in more depth as well as my experiences during my recent journey toward recovery.
That being said, on to my Wednesday Walk. (P.S. This walk was actually on Tuesday night...sssshhh, don't tell anyone).
I live in the historic market town of Hexham, which is located in the North East of England in the County of Northumberland. The town is mainly known for still holding regular market days as well as historic buildings such as Hexham Abbey and The Old Gaol. The Old Gaol itself is thought to be the oldest prison building in England, being dated back to roughly 1330.
My first port of call was a walk through the park in the centre of town. I was surprised to see that the usual festive lighting had already started to be put up.
I carried on through the park and took in the view on The Queens Hall, which is our local theatre. The building was built in the early Victorian era and was originally an agricultural hub known as 'The Corn Hall'.
I then passed through the archway commemerating those that died in the 1st World War and the serving regiment from Hexham, The 3rd Line Battalion. The fences have been decorated with poppies in honour of Rememberance Day.
Having walked down the main street for the first time in several years I got to the Market Place. This is the historical center of the town and home to this gate house that leads to The Old Gaol.
Now for the architectural pièce de résistance, Hexham Abbey.
The Abbey itself dates back to 678 AD and has withstood attacks from Viking raiders in 875 as well as several raids by the Scottish, including raids led by the legendary William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, leading to many periods of restoration during it's long history. While I am not personally of the Christian faith, I love complex architecture making this one of my favourite places in town.
The town even has a brief appearance in the acclaimed tv show 'Vikings', showing a raid in action by the shows protagonist Ragnar Lothbrok and his cohort of early Scandanavian raiders.
That marks the end of my first Wednesday Walk post. I hope you guys found it interesting enough to come back, as I will endevour to do more of these posts in the future. On a personal note I'd just like to thank the Eccency and wider Hive Community for the motivation and inspiration that I draw from you all. My experiences in Hive so far have been an invaluable tool in my long overdue quest to deal with my condition and move forward in a positive light.
Talk to you all soon hopefully.
Many thanks as always go to my friends in #thealliance.
