I’ve been away for a few weeks and just got back. I had a handful of comics prepared ahead of time and scheduled, with my fingers crossed that they would actually get posted when they were supposed to. It looks like they did, though I’m sorry I wasn’t here to answer any of your fun comments. (Like all comic makers, I thrive on people reading my comics and enjoying them enough to say so!) Where have I been? Well, I took a very long walk.
Where did I walk? Well, I started on the east coast of England and I ended on the west coast. In between, I followed the line of one of the most intriguing ancient monuments that very intriguing and ancient country has to offer: Hadrian’s Wall!
The Hadrian’s Wall Path is a wonderful walking trail that follows the line of the wall for most of its way, diverging only where the ground is unsafe or modern building obscures the wall remains. For someone who enjoys history like I do, the wall is a fascinating and wonderful place to explore. Of course, there are other ways of entertaining yourself with a wall…
Most of the path is charmingly rural, cutting through sheep and cattle pastures.
And, of course, where there’s sheep, you’ll also find…
(Okay, Blizzard, whoever it is on staff who keeps coming up with the hi-larious poop quests, go spend an afternoon tromping across active sheep pastures. I promise you will come away with a new appreciation for just how much “fun” the stuff is to deal with. I walked as carefully as I could and jumped in puddles to wash every chance I got, and my boots still ended up caked with the stuff.)
Anyway, I’m home now. I had a great time, but I did miss things like playing WoW, making AFR, and catching up on all the other great comics I wish AFR could grow up to be. I’m still getting settled back into my routines, so this will be it for me this week. Tune in next week when your regularly scheduled AFR will return with all-new comics.
Thanks for reading. May all your summer adventures be, ahem, “quest item”-free.
Away From Reality 
Love the comic! Nice way of explaining what you’ve been up to. (Though I have a hard time believing that the lore-hound Thizz would be ‘meh’ about anything historical, lol) From your description, I take it you were walking through privately-owned fields at least some of the time? Is that all right in Britain? I’m used to the no-trespassing signs here in the US. Lovely pics, all of them; though my absolute fav is the first one. Welcome back!
Comment by Moria — June 30, 2011 @ 7:19 PM
Thank you! 😀
I don’t know all the details of the English laws, but there are established public rights-of-way across many privately owned fields and pastures. We stuck to the path and no one ever troubled us. It does feel very odd from a U.S. point of view, but however it works I’m glad it does.
Comment by wowafr — July 1, 2011 @ 2:15 PM
“At least it’s an animate object” lol
I’ve never appreciated the poop quests either but then I grew up on a ranch with sheep, horses and cows! Don’t even get me started on the chickens, ugh.
Comment by Zy — July 1, 2011 @ 10:48 PM
You had quite the childhood. I grew up in a town where farming was dying out. I can still remember walking down the road as a kid to look at the neighbor’s sheep. Now there’s a gas station where that field was. I did grow up with chickens, though, so, yeah, I feel your pain.
Comment by wowafr — July 2, 2011 @ 3:43 PM
That reads like a great walking trip! Do you trail/hike often? Or are you like me and appreciate the occasional sojourn out into the wilderness?
I understood Mankrik’s Wife was in the Northern Barrens now, but I didn’t think that far in the North
Don’t worry Gord. It’s only a model.
I come from a countryside village where there are farms dotted about the place, and our holidays tended to be in Islay, where the farming predominantly consists of livestock too. So yes, plenty of pats and poppets, though nothing that a sturdy pair of boots can’t solve
Looking forward to our schedule return next week – thanks for the bumper instalment ^^
Comment by Cromdale — July 7, 2011 @ 4:50 AM
Glad you enjoyed. 🙂
I enjoy walking, always have, but this is the first big multi-day walking vacation I’ve taken. It was a lot to handle, but I had a good time and might do something like it again (in a few years, when my feet have forgotten how sore they were at the end of every day!).
Comment by wowafr — July 9, 2011 @ 12:08 PM
Wow, what an experience! I haven’t been back to the UK since I played tour guide for my parents in 2009, and I think the farthest north I’ve been on any of my five trips was Birmingham. So pardon me being a little green over here. 😉
Comment by ButMadNNW — July 26, 2013 @ 11:58 PM
The wall is very well worth a visit if you’re in the region. If you don’t want to walk the whole thing, treat yourself to a little stroll along the middle stretch where it’s better preserved. Housesteads fort is a great place to see surviving parts of the wall and enjoy some beautiful country scenery.
Comment by wowafr — July 27, 2013 @ 10:01 AM
Thanks for the tips. 🙂
Comment by ButMadNNW — July 27, 2013 @ 3:24 PM