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Hadrians Wall

My wife and I'd like to see Hadrians Wall during our upcoming visit to the U.K. Can you recommend the most interesting portion of Wall to visit?

Posted by
1431 posts

Hi Gander -

For what is worth it’s generally considered that the section starting near Greenhead or at Walltown Crags and running in an easterly direction to Housesteads fort is the best and most complete, not to mention scenic, part of the wall. It’s also relentlessly up hill and down dale!

Ian

Posted by
382 posts

Or are you thinking of Antonine Wall between Edinburgh and Glasgow?

Posted by
9426 posts

I spend 3 nights in Haltwhistle last year (during a 6 week visit to England) and found that to be a great base for visiting Hadrian's Wall. It was perfect for visiting Vindolanda and Housesteads Roman Fort, two of the best preserved sections and fascinating to see. Vindolanda is about a 10 minute drive, and Housesteads is only a few miles farther. And in the opposite direction is Birdoswald Roman Fort, which is about 15 minutes away.

I could not have been happier with this location. And if you are interested in a place to stay, the B&B I stayed at (the Old School House) was wonderful, and I enjoyed my stay there so much. The owners were very nice and helpful, and it even had a laundry room that guests can use at no extra charge. At any rate, I wrote a review of it if you are interested: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/review-of-the-old-school-house-b-b-in-haltwhistle-northumberland

Posted by
417 posts

I have walked the whole wall and agree with what people have said above- in general, the best stretches are between Gilsland and Chollerford, and that is also where you will see several forts and the Roman Army Museum. Another location I would suggest for a base is Hexham, which is very close to Chollerford and has a lovely abbey and several good places to eat. I also note the wall is entirely in England so you may get more responses to this query on the England forum. Good luck with your planning.

Posted by
9596 posts

At Hexham two of the less well known places to eat are the pub at the railway station, also the Indus Valley Indian Takeaway and Pizzeria (western and Indian Pizzas) also at the station - a branch of the well known Valley Indian Restaurant at Corbridge station.
Another good Roman site to visit (which for some reason gets far less attention than Housesteads and Vindolanda is Chesters.