Hear the clanging of swords on shields during a military training… The murmur of men stacking stone after stone…. Steam hissing in the bath house… When you close your eyes at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England, it’s not hard to imagine what life must have looked like here almost 2000 years ago.
Curious to find out more? Then get ready to enter the northern frontier of the mighty Roman empire and travel with me to Newcastle and on to three important site’s along Hadrian’s Wall.
Thomas [archaeology-travel.com] Nienke [that’s me!], Tea [www.teawashere.com] Jess [theflyawayamerican.com] Kasha [linesofescape.com] Anne & Jason [traveltheglobe4less.com] Iain [malloryontravel.com]
Hadrian’s Wall in North England
For the greater part of three centuries, Hadrian’s Wall was a bustling, multi-cultural frontier zone. It is the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain.
Hadrian’s Wall was built on the orders of the emperor Hadrian, who visited Britain in AD 122. According to his biographer, the purpose of the wall was to separate the Romans and the barbarians. It separated a whole lot indeed.
The wall itself stretched across Northern England from coast to coast, covering 80 miles (about 129 km) and reaching a height of 6 meters in some places. Along with its barracks, milecastles (protected gates), observing towers and forts, the Wall was completed in a decade by three legions consisting of 15.000 men. If you’re a bit into engineering, I’m sure you’ll be amazed by this feat, as much for its vision and ambition as for its technical achievement.
If you’re a nature lover as well as a history buff, you’re in for a treat. Hadrian’s Wall Country is a great eco-tourism and hiking/cycling destination. By train it took just under 3 hours to get from London to Newcastle, from where you can travel by car or local bus services. And who doesn’t want to travel on the ‘AD122’ bus. Get it, Get it? A.D. 122? It’s so brilliant. *all history geeks applaude softly*
We saw many backpackers and other travellers on foot or by bike as well. There is a 84 mile (about 135 km) National Trail that takes you from Bowness-on-Solway in the west all the way to Wallsend in the east (or the other way around).
The Hadrian’s Cycleway (NCN 72) starts in Ravenglass and follows the line of the Cumbrian coastal defences and Hadrian’s Wall for 174 miles (about 280 km). But wherever you decide to start, end or take a break, I’m sure you’ll discover a unique piece of history everywhere.
Hadrian’s Wall was built to improve frontier control. During the building of the Wall, there was a major change of plan: it was decided to build 12 or 13 forts actually on the Wall line. This was a unique solution for the legions to be able to move around more quickly and has not been repeated on any other frontier.
If you only have 1 day in the area (which I will tell you right away is of course not even close to enough time), you have to select which forts and villages to visit, so here are three brilliant sites at the central part of the Wall I recommend when heading West of Newcastle.
You can probably best visit them in the same order as mentioned here to get the most out of your time and experience. And as a bonus, I’ll give you some tips for nice places to get refreshments as well in between. Hope you find it useful!
Travel with me to:
1. Corbridge Roman Town
2. Chesters Roman Fort
3. Housesteads Roman Fort
+ Newcastle Upon Tyne
Corbridge Roman Town
Corbridge was the crucial supply base for the legions based on Hadrian’s wall and it soon developed into a bustling civilian settlement. This site was occupied longer than any other along the Wall. Around its military core grew a town which at one time extended to 12 hectares.
Nowadays, you can walk around the remains outside with an (audio) guide and visit the small museum, that features some of the amazing sculptures and other finds from Corbridge town.
Corbridge is also a great playground for kids :)
Corbridge is not just a site where you can be amazed walking up and down the street of a complete Roman town, it’s also the place where Britain’s most significant finds in Roman history was excavated about 51 years ago…
The ‘Hoard’ is a wooden chest filled with a Roman soldier’s personal belongings and armour, tools and weaponry. It give a rare view into the life of a soldier at that time and I cannot imaging the excitement of the archaeologists that discovered these amazing artifacts… just like finding a time capsule!
MEAL TIP: On your way over from Newcastle, make sure to stop at the Vallum Farm Tea Room for a nice breakfast, to meet the Romans with regained strength! Also, during your time at the Wall, keep an eye out for the Hadrian’s Wall Country ‘Locally Produced’ sign, as this is where you’ll find the best farmer’ markets, events and farm shops.
Chesters Roman Fort
Nestled in a beautiful riverside location, it’s not hard to see why Chesters was a good spot for the Romans to set up a base. In 1890, the museum at Chesters opened and it has been little altered since. They are working on renewing the interior of the museum now, though. Some of the items in the museum are just incredible, you can see some below.
English Heritage organizes many events throughout the year where history comes to life. Great for families visiting: it’s not just fun for the kids, but a nice change of getting in touch with British history for the parents as well!
While at Hadrian’s Wall, we got to experience one of these events ourselves as well, during the “Romans and Gladiators”-themed activities at Chesters Roman Fort. We had the chance to get up close with the Roman army as they marched around the site, trained for combat and showed us their ingenious battle tactics and artillery firepower that made the Roman army a great fighting force.
The Ermine Street Guard is the number one Roman Reenactment Society of Europe. The Roman Army is brought to life by this World famous group and it added a lot more insight to how the Romans must have worked and lived. And a lot more humor, too.
Showing what a real Gladiator fight must have been like. Thumbs Up! (Or Down?!)
Chesters turned out to be a great site, even if you would visit without a special event on. It is the best preserved example of a Roman cavalry fort in Britain.
On site, right next to the river, you will also be able to step into the best preserved Roman bath house in Britain as well:
Definitely what the bath house would have looked like at the time :)
The bridge unfortunately is no longer there, but you can see some remains at the opposite side of the river
In the small museum, which is soon to be refurbished, you can see some great items on display. Some of my favourites were a really well-preserved leather shoe, Roman Godess Juno Regina bust with incredible details and the altar of ‘Coventina’, a Roman goddess who was famous back in the days, but most people haven’t heard of now.
The Coventina altars were discovered in a pit 150+ years ago at Carrawburgh. They were buried together with incense burners, brooches, beads and thousands of coins, which you can partly see in the museum.
If only the Romans knew back then what they would know now…
MEAL TIP: Make sure to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and some scones from the recently opened tea house on site as well. Especially nice with good weather, as you can sit at the tables or in the grass.
Housesteads Roman Fort
Our last visit was to Housteads, the most complete Roman Fort in Britain. Of course you want to end your day with the most iconic site! The site is located on the point where Hadrian’s Wall climbs to the top of an escarpment and where you have an amazing 360 degree view over the area.
Start your visit at the small museum halfway up the hill to get an idea of the scale of the fort. You will get a peek into the life of the 800 soldiers living and working here through the artifacts, models and the very informative and well-done CGI movie in the back of the building.
Local craftsmen and woman selling their handmade goods, from yarns, jams and woodwork to leather (Roman-inspired) items like you can see here.
Further uphill, you pass the oldest toilets you will probably ever see and on the top, you’ll have stunning views over the Tyne valley and the Scottish borders.
Housesteads is laid out just like all the other Roman forts: 4 gates at each side, latrines out on the South side, barracks and bathhouse to the side. The hospital and headquarters are safely in the middle, surrounded by the commanding officer’s house and the granaries.
MEAL TIP: Back in Newcastle, you’ll have plenty of food options. We had an incredible meal at Cookhouse and also a great time at the many food trucks of the Boiler Shop Steamer, which is held once a month. A couple of months back, I had some good Indian Tapas (?!) at Dabawal. All addresses and websites below!
Glorious end to a brilliant visit of Hadrian’s Wall is all I can say!
Information on Hadrian’s Wall
- Hadrian’s Wall Country stretches across Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear in the North of England.
- Location Corbridge Roman Town: NE45 5NT
- Location Chesters Roman Fort: NE46 4E4
- Location Housesteads Roman Fort: NE47 6NN
- More information about public transport and places to go in the area can also be found on: visithadrianswall.co.uk. If you are travelling by car, follow the World Heritage Site tourist driving trail in Cumbria to see the best parts of Hadrian’s Wall!
Information on English Heritage
- Website English Heritage: english-heritage.org.uk
- Get an English Heritage Membership Card and get access to over 400 locations and special events all around Britain.
- There is a great English Heritage App developed as well!
- I HIGHLY recommend getting yourself a copy of the English Heritage guidebook on Hadrian’s Wall if you want to know more about the rise of the Roman empire in Britain, the details of the most important sites along the Wall, features of Roman settlements and the life of Hadrian himself, the local people and the archaeologists discovering and conserving all of these incredible sites. It’s just £4.99.
Information on Newcastle
- NewcastleGateshead Tourist Information: newcastlegateshead.com
- Enjoy Meals along the way at: Vallum Farm Tea Rooms, Chesters Roman Fort Tea Room, Boiler Shop Steamer, Boiler Shop Steamer and/or Dabbawal
- We stayed at the lovely Sleeperz Hotel in Newcastle and drove from there. You could visit all three sites mentioned in the article in a day. Public parking is possible at a location nearby (reservation is not possible) and charges are applicable. Address:
15 Westgate Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1SE
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