Ging gang goolie

Day 5 of the Haltwhistle Autumn Walking Festival and I led the Two Forts Walk which was about 12.5 miles long.

The weather was glorious. We walked along the banks of the River South Tyne and then climbed Warden Hill to see the iron age fort on the top. Then on to lunch, which we ate at the site of the first ever boy scout camp. The monument is in the photo along with today's lovely group of walkers. We heard about the first camp from Peter, one of the team, who led us in a spontaneous chorus of the famous boy scout song:

Ging Gang Goolee, Goolee,
Goolee, Goolee Watcha
Ging Gang Goo Ging Gang Goo
Ging Gang Goolee, Goolee,
Goolee, Goolee Watcha
Ging Gang Goo Ging Gang Goo

Hayla, Hayla Shayla, Hayla Shayla Hayla Ho-o-o!
Hayla, Hayla Shayla Hayla Shayla Hayla Ho-o-o!
Shalawally hallway shalawally shalawally!
Oompah, Oompah, Oompah, Oompah!

Baden Powell composed this song of nonsense words so that boy scouts at the first international camp could sing together. Most of our group knew the words and the tune.

We walked to Brocolitia - the Roman fort just by the northernmost point of Hadrian's Wall. There is a temple to the god Mithras here. We stopped to hear about the secret religious cult of Mithras that involved various induction trials and ended with acceptance into the cult with a special handshake.

Arth survived the day but is sore now so we're heading for an early night.

PS Apologies if I have given you an ear worm!