Days 18 to 20: Kirky Lonsdale

Our four hour trip to Kirkby Lonsdale was broken up by two stops. The first stop was at the home of rugby sevens, Melrose, located in the Scottish borders.We were given the opportunity to explore the rugby club and immerse ourselves in the history of sevens rugby. They were in the process of putting in a new 3G pitch and renovating the grounds; their future certainly looks exciting for rugby fans.
The second stop was at the Housesteads Roman Fort to visit Hadrian's Wall, a 117 kilometre wall which was built by the Romans to keep out the unconquered people of Scotland. Construction started around A.D. 122, after a visit to Britain by Emperor Hadrian (reign A.D. 117-138), a ruler determined to consolidate the Roman Empire's borders. Walking amongst the ruins of the fort and along the wall it was not hard to imagine the life of a Roman soldier defending Roman Britian against the Scottish Picts.

We arrived in Kirkby Lonsdale later that afternoon and the boys met their new hosts for the next three nights.

Sunday was a day off, and the boys had the opportunity to spend the day with their billets exploring the picturesque landscape of Kirkby Lonsdale.

The next day was our final match. Although we were originally going to play Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale, their Rugby Coordinator, Dan Williams, who has brought teams to Townsville on a number of occasions organised a game against Kirkham Grammar. After the game the boys spent their last night with their Kirkby billets and prepared for the journey to London the next day.

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