This is a private tour, only your group shares the vehicle.

This tour takes you to:

The Roman Army Museum to understand what life was like for the Roman soldiers who came to this remote frontier to build and fortify the Wall.
Take a look at the iconic Sycamore Gap where the wall dips down between two hills, a site used as a filming location for "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves".
See a view of Housesteads Roman Fort sat high on the hillside right next to the Wall itself.
Visit Vindolanda, one of the best excavated Roman towns and forts in the area.
Steel Rigg, where you can see a fantastic piece of the Wall as it follows the amazing contours of the landscape.

What is included in this tour:

Full Day Tour
Admission to The Roman Army Museum
Admission to Vindolanda
Knowledgeable guide to provide expert commentary and analysis, as well as taking care of practicalities and general support throughout the tour
Experienced driver for your safety
Small group of up to 6 people for a more flexible and personalised experience
Use of personal radio communication technology to keep you in-touch with your guide when you are off the minibus (where applicable)

Additional Features:

Gift Shops at The Roman Army Museum and Vindolanda
Comfort facilities available at The Roman Army Museum and Vindolanda
Suitable for solo travelers

Itinerary

We depart from Windermere and head north. Our journey takes us through countryside on the edge of the Lake District and then we take the motorway to get to the Wall as quickly as possible to maximise your time in the north.

Our first destination is the award winning Roman Army Museum. Here we will take some time to understand why the Wall was built and what life was like for those Roman soldiers who both built and then staffed the Wall. The Roman Army Museum uses stunning real 3D technology in a specially designed film theatre and interactive displays enable visitors to understand what life was like for soldiers on this northern frontier. The museum also houses unique Roman artefacts such as the only surviving Roman helmet crest and a set of four hipposandals (Roman horse shoes).

The fantastic 3D film at the museum will immerse you as you soar like an eagle across the majestic Northumberland landscape, over Hadrian's Wall and through a thousand years of history. See for yourself in incredible 3D detail what life was like on the wall for our ambitious soldier 'Aquila', what it took to rise through the ranks and why many didn't make it! Battle and boredom - an intoxicating mix of emotions for those tasked with defending Hadrian's honour!

We then leave the museum behind and travel alongside part of the Wall, making a brief stop alongside the iconic Sycamore Gap. This is a point on the path of the Wall where the land undulates quite amazingly and the Wall follows these undulations. Sat between two hills, alongside the Wall, is a lone sycamore tree. It was used as a location in the film "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" starring Kevin Costner.

A little further along the Wall we make another short stop alongside the Roman fort at Housesteads. Originally known as Vercovicium, the fort lies midway along Hadrian's Wall, Housesteads is the most complete example of a Roman fort in Britain, and one of the best-known from the entire Roman Empire. It was built within a decade of AD 122, when work on the Wall began, and was garrisoned by an 800-strong infantry regiment until the end of the 4th century. Excavations have revealed major buildings, defences and the civilian settlement outside its walls.

We now move on to Vindolanda. Vindolanda lies just to the south of the curtain wall of Hadrian's Wall and has a very different 'feel' to other sites along the Wall. It lies upon the first Roman frontier in the north, The Stanegate Road, and in a stunning landscape which lets your imagination really connect with its past. Although first built by the Roman army before Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda became an important construction and garrison base for the Wall, a Hadrian's Wall fort in its own right. During this time Vindolanda was demolished and completely re-built no fewer than nine times. Each re-build, each community, leaving their own distinctive mark on the landscape and archaeology of the site.

After Hadrian's Wall and the Roman occupation was abandoned by its imperial armies, Vindolanda remained in use for over 400 years before finally becoming abandoned in the 9th century.

The Vindolanda site today contains a modern world class museum using the latest interpretation techniques and display to tell a very old, very interesting Roman story. The museum is constantly changing with artefacts added annually as a result of the ongoing excavation programme. In 2018 the museum was extended with a Wooden Underworld gallery, housing a rare collection of 2,000 year old wooden finds (including a toilet seat and a toy sword!).

We will stop for lunch at Vindolanda and take a tour around the excavations and the museum.

After our time at Vindolanda we will move on to see other parts of the remains of the Wall, stopping at Steel Rigg for an opportunity to take a short walk alongside one of the most photogenic sections of the Wall itself.

After having had our fill of Hadrian's Wall we then make our way back to Windermere.

Additional Information

The weather can change quickly. Please bring a waterproof coat with a hood in case of rain or windy weather.
As there is some walking involved in the tour, some uphill and on uneven or wet terrain, please wear suitable, comfortable shoes.
No food or drink is included in the tour price.
Suitable for solo travellers
This tour is not suitable for children under the age of 5.

Private Tour: Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda and The Edge of the Roman Empire