A Solo Adventure Across Hadrian’s Wall.
After nearly two years of world lockdown, even our paradise island started feeling a bit too small.
I was itching for a vacation beyond its shores while Yoni was content with our usual routine.
The truth is, while the rest of the world endured lockdowns in tiny city apartments, we didn’t feel much of a difference.
The vast, open forest was still there for us to explore, and we rarely saw many people even before the pandemic.
The main change was the sudden disappearance of our volunteers, who caught the last planes out of the island as lockdowns took effect worldwide.
At first, it felt like reclaiming our space, much like when kids graduate and leave home.
I never understood the “empty nest” syndrome— for me, it was liberating. However, two years later, I realized I needed a vacation.
It felt strange to say it, considering most people come to Tenerife for a vacation.
Every day at Casa Alegria feels like a holiday, but we all need variety and a change of scenery sometimes.
The main problem was that without our volunteers, we couldn’t take our usual week or two of hiking vacations, as there was no one to care for the finca and the animals. Yoni and I had to let go of our favourite type of getaway.
We agreed that each one of us would take a “solo” vacation instead,w hicle the other stays to take care of the farm.
Summer seemed like the best time for a break. Gerdy, our friend from Holland could come to stay and keep Yoni company.
He isn’t great at being alone unless it involves silent meditation in a cave.
I decided to visit the UK and spend a few days with our daughter, Thom, whom we hadn’t seen in nearly two years (except via Zoom). I missed hugging her!
When having to choose a trail to hike, I realised it had been 5 years since my dad passed away. For over 20 years, he and my mum spent 3 months each summer in Oxford, where he was a visiting professor. To honour his memory, walking the Cotswolds Trail would be symbolic. Unfortunately, it was too late in the season, and all the places were fully booked.
Then, someone mentioned that the Hadrian’s Wall Trail was still open and had available accommodations.
It was the perfect way to honour my dad, a Greek and Roman history professor specialising in the Roman army.
What better way to remember him than walking along Hadrian’s Wall, built to protect the “civilised” world from the “barbarians”?
Only when I was on the plane to the UK did it dawn on me that this adventure was not just about walking 135 km in 7 days but also navigating and finding my way solo for the first time in a very long time.
Since 1993, all my vacations had been with Yoni. Now, I had to trust myself, be creative when things went wrong (and they did), and be my own motivational coach.
When I first signed up for this vacation, I didn’t think about the challenge. But it turned out to be such a fantastic experience that now, each year when I plan my “alone” vacation, I make sure it includes a challenge, whether physical or mental. It definitely stretches me!
