Lady’s Guide to a Hadrian’s Wall Day Trip from Newcastle

Today I want to bring you my guide to a Hadrian’s Wall day trip from Newcastle. Visiting this ancient Roman wall in the north of England is a great way to dig into British history and enjoy a day out in the UK.

Hadrian’s Wall Day Trip

When I first moved to London, I made a list of all of the places I wanted to travel in the UK. From Oxford to Cambridge, the Cotswolds to the Lake District, I included every destination I had always dreamed about.

Over the years, I worked my way through the list until there was only one place left: Hadrian’s Wall.

The famous Roman fortification near the border of England and Scotland has fascinated me since I was a child.

The idea that something that was built in 122AD is still intact amazes me, not least because as a Californian the idea that something that was built in 1950 is still intact amazes me.

Now that I’m in the north of England speaking at a travel blogging conference, I have the chance to visit.

English Heritage is running a post-conference Hadrian’s Wall day trip from Newcastle for the attendees, and I hop on the bus excited to explore the famous Roman ruins in Britain.

Hadrian’s Wall Tour

It doesn’t take long before we catch our first glimpse of Hadrian’s Wall. Just outside the Newcastle city center is a small piece of it.

It looks a bit strange sitting in a grassy strip of land between the busy road and the sidewalk, but I suppose it’s a good reflection of how far British civilization has come since ancient Roman times.

Housesteads Roman Fort

About an hour outside Newcastle, our Hadrian’s Wall day trip brings us to a much more impressive part: Housesteads Roman Fort.

It has a small visitor center with a museum and gift shop, complete with a Roman centurion who talks with us about the civilization around the wall and the lives of the 800 soldiers who were stationed here in the 2nd century AD.

After watching a 10-minute film about the history of Hadrian’s Wall, we go outside to see the wall and the fort that was built on this part of it.

In classic English fashion, the wind is blowing so hard that the rain is actually falling horizontally.

But we don’t let the weather bother us. Intrepid, we explore the wall and Housesteads Roman Fort, which are much more complex than I ever imagined.

Instead of just a stone line through the fields, this part of Hadrian’s Wall hosts a whole fortification, complete with barracks, a commandant’s house, and some surprisingly intact latrines.

Chesters Roman Fort

Our Hadrian’s Wall day trip continues as a Roman centurion and an archaeologist from English Heritage take us to another site nearby.

Chesters Roman Fort has its own small museum, which is laid out in 19th-century fashion with a jumble of statues, iron tools, and other artifacts.

Outside is more of Hadrian’s Wall, including a bathhouse with the Roman equivalent of saunas, steam rooms, and hot tubs. Not bad for the 2nd century AD.

Day Trip to Hadrian’s Wall

Our Hadrian’s Wall day trip winds up with a late lunch at Vallum Farm. We feast on Sunday roasts and rich puddings in the upstairs dining room, which overlooks the rolling sheep-filled hills of Northumberland.

On the drive from Hadrian’s Wall to Newcastle, I feel happy to have finally traveled to the last area on my list of places to visit in the UK.

But Hadrian’s Wall is 73 miles (117 kilometers) long and runs from coast to coast, so instead of being finished, I’ve really only just started to explore this fascinating piece of ancient Roman—and British—history.

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