Round The World and other travel

May 2017: Hexham & Hadrian's Wall

Marking the northern limit of the Roman Empire and predating the countries of England and Scotland, Hadrian's Wall once ran across the island of Great Britain from the Solway to the Tyne. Viewing the remains of the wall had been on my to-do list for many years. Most recently, I had intended to achieve the objective during a trip to Carlisle and Newcastle in 2015, only to end up abandoning that part of the plan due to poor weather on the final day. I dislike having my brain cluttered up with unfinished business and was therefore pleased to come up with a far-from-obvious way of finally seeing the remains of the wall in 2017, as part of a trip to ... erm ... the south coast of England. (The availability of cheap air fares from Newcastle to Southampton meant that there was some method in my madness.)

Vindolanda

Vindolanda can be found sixteen miles east of Brampton, set in attractive, rolling countryside near the curiously named Northumberland village of Once Brewed. It was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, occupied from AD85 to AD370. The grounds contain a small museum and an extensive archaeological site.

Roman Army Museum

Situated approximately seven miles west of Vindolanda, the Roman Army Museum is also run by the Vindolanda Trust.

Chesters

Chesters Roman Fort is located just a few miles north (and slightly west) of Hexham, adjacent to the Northumberland village of Walwick. Built in AD123, the fort's Roman name was Cilurnum. As this site is in the care of English Heritage, my membership of Historic Scotland brought the bonus of free admission.

Hexham

Hexham is an attractive market town situated in Northumberland, around 25 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne. The townscape is dominated by the historic Hexham Abbey, which escaped destruction during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century in order to serve as a highly distinguished parish church.