Highlights of Hadrian's Wall

Today we look at the little-visited western flank of the Hadrian’s Wall frontier. In the morning, we start at the Roman fort Swarthy Hill (milefortlet 21). In the afternoon we drive to Ravenglass, the southernmost fort on the frontier system, to see the Walls Castle Roman bath house – one of the highest-standing surviving Roman structures in Britain.

We drive along Hadrian’s Wall, pausing at Turret 52a, Banks East and the pre-wall Pike Hill turret. We begin at Milecastle 48, Poltross Burn, and walk 1 mile to Birdoswald Fort, via Turrets 48a and 48b, the bridge at Willowford and Milecastle 49, Harrows Scar. In the afternoon we visit Tullie House Museum – one of the two major Hadrian’s Wall museums – and its new gallery.

Today, we see the iconic central sector of the Wall. In the morning, we visit the Temple of Mithras at the fort of Carrawburgh, followed by Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum. From here, we walk three miles across the grandiose crags of the Great Whin Sill, passing Milecastle 37 and 39, towards Steel Rigg. Our day ends with a visit to the fort of Chesters.

The Stanegate was the Trajanic frontier pre-dating Hadrian’s Wall, and today we visit its key sites. We spend an entire morning at Vindolanda, famous for its unique collection of Roman ink writing tablets. We visit the extensive and ongoing excavations and the superb museum. In the afternoon, we travel to the Roman site of Corbridge with its fascinating museum.

On our final day, we drive to Wallsend - Segedunum, to visit the most completely excavated Roman fort on the line, the museum, and the reconstructed bath house. We continue to the museum of the eastern flank of the Wall, the Great North Museum in Newcastle before our tour ends.