Hadrian’s Wall/Car Tour

“Hadrian’s Wall, one of the greatest feats of construction by one of the greatest empires of the world”

Private Tours of the Wall by Car as recommended by Rick Steves.

I can pick you up from your hotel or B&B, take you on a tour of the best sites along the Wall and bring you back. All the while providing a commentary that will increase your understanding of Roman Britain.

I will add depth to sites such as the Roman Army museum with it’s wonderful 3D video : the ruins of Vindolanda, which has a world famous collection of Roman artifacts and where archaeology is ongoing all Summer and at least 2 places on the Wall itself. Taken as a whole, the day will bring the Roman Frontier and its context in the Empire back to life.

I can also take you to places most people don’t see and/or the forts of Chesters or Housesteads as optional extras should time permit.

There is a great cafe at Vindolanda for lunch and a nearby hotel – the Twice Brewed, which is more of a restaurant. The tour also includes the magnificent scenery that the Romans built the Wall through as well as the sheep and other livestock that populate it today. See the lambs in Spring, their cuteness is off the scale.

This tour lasts about 7/8 hours and focuses on the life of the Roman Empire’s most Northerly frontier. The Romans were here for nearly 400 years and a great deal changed in that time. We will explore some of these changes and answer questions such as why the Wall was built here in the first place? How was it built and who by? Who manned it and where did they come from? What happened here and why in the end did it all collapse?

Then there is the magnificent scenery. The Romans utilized the ridge of the Whin Sill for large portions of their Wall and consequently the views are spectacular. Also the geography of this area is largely unchanged, which means this is how a Roman soldier would’ve seen this landscape 2000 years ago.

ITINERARY

Visit the complex structure with a comprehensive understanding of how it all worked. This is not just a study of masonry.
Visit of other less well know places nearby
We will visit the Roman Army Museum with it’s award winning 3D film and excellent explanation of how the roman army worked.
visit the roman fort and village at Vindolanda. This is a world famous archaeological site and there is so much in the ground here that they may well find something right in front of you that no one has seen for 2000 years. It also has a great cafe for lunch.
If time permits we could also visit Housesteads which has been described as ‘one of the best preserved roman forts in Europe’.

Note: The tour is mostly by car but there is inevitably some walking involved.

Also there are many other roman sites in the area and if there is somewhere you particularly want to visit I will change the itinerary to suit you.

The extra charges for driving do not apply if you are already in the Hexham or Haltwhistle area.