Itinerary Suggestions for History Buffs

You should go to Cardiff Wales and go to the St. Fagan's Museum. Personally, I think you are spending too much time in Scotland.

You can never spend too much time in Scotland!

Mike (Auchterless)

Ha ha Mike! I thought this was a mostly Scotland trip but I just added up the nights in Scotland v. England and realized it's 50/50. If my partner had been to London and Bath we would probably have skipped those locales in favor of more time in Scotland or elsewhere. But there are some archaeological "meccas" that he has to see (like Stonehenge).

Ooohhh Cala! That looks really interesting! We will definitely need to consider a detour to Wales. If not this trip, next time.

Hi,
We agree with Mike (Auchterless) that you can't possibly spend too much time in Scotland! If you're interested in ancient history there is much to be discovered.

About an hour's drive north of Inverness is the Tarbat Discovery Centre with some original & replica Pictish Stones. It's a bit of a hidden gem staffed by some very knowledgeable volunteers. We were a good hour there.

Tarbat Discovery Centre
https://www.tarbat-discovery.co.uk

There are other Pictish stones in the area along the Highland Pictish Trail. This website provides a good introduction to the Picts.
Highland Pictish Trail
https://highlandpictishtrail.co.uk/the-picts

Happy planning!

While in London, consider the City of London museum. They have excavations of early London.

You mention a lot of day tours from places I wasn't sure there were daytours. Example, is there a day tour to Hadrian's wall from Durham?

Near Hadrian's Wall is Vindolanda. Considering your interests, you probably don't want to miss this.

If you are interested in day tours, I'd suggest looking into Rabbies

I was going to suggest joining a dig of interest, but then I see October. Schools - where a lot of volunteers come from - will be back in session so unlikely any would be possible... foo

You will be close to a number of Roman villas and if Roman is of interest they are well worth a visit. For example, near Cirencester and just off the Fosseway is National Trust's Chedworth Villa https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/chedworth-roman-villa which is simply fabulous.

You could slip in a side visit to Hadrian's Wall on the way to Glasgow. Leave London on the 1830 train from Euston, and alight at Carlisle at 2152, staying overnight at the Station Hotel (literally steps away from the station entrance), or the County Hotel (opposite). The Station Hotel was originally built for Queen Victoria on her way to Balmoral, and she had her own private entrance.
There is also a later train an hour later. Either way you still get a full day in London.
Starting in January 2026 there will be a direct bus from Carlisle to Hadrian's Wall (re-instating a long lost service), then late afternoon/early evening train to Glasgow. The bus service is funded (by the Government)- just awaiting legal approval.
There may even be digs happening in the area of Roman remains. We've just closed down the Drumburgh dig a week or so ago (that was an exceptional one) but around the October half term there is what seems to have become an annual dig in Carlisle- closed this week I believe, some quite exciting stuff has been found.
You may be able to pick up a tour run by Great Guided Tours (Carol Donnelly, a local Guide) or maybe a private tour run by someone like Solway Tours. Various options.

One place you seem to be missing is the Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore. You could cut up there from Fort William, as opposed to going via Loch Ness (which may be a better fit for you?). While at Fort William maybe visit The Commando Memorial (also commemorated outside the Duncansburgh Church in the Town Centre).

You won't have time on this trip, but in the future, I would recommend a visit to the island of Lewis and Harris, which has a number of prehistoric sites and some wonderful things to see. And of course, there are lots of historic sites on Orkney as well. As the others have said, I guarantee you that you will want to come back to Scotland. It's an incredible country. And of course I love England with all my heart, so I'm not denigrating that, but you must already know that since you've been there. 😊

While at Fort William maybe visit The Commando Memorial (also commemorated outside the Duncansburgh Church in the Town Centre).

Thanks for that, Stuart. I didn't know about Commando memorials in Fort William.

I certainly have made my pilgrimage to the Memorial at Spean Bridge and nearby to Achnacarry where my father and other volunteers were trained under live fire and then went on to serve under "Mad Jack" Churchill.

and while I'm at it, I'll note that when he went out to serve in various Med campaigns, including Sicily, Monte Cassino, Greece, Yugoslavia and ended up in Comacchio, just north of Ravenna, Italy, it was a full complement of Commandos. My father and a handful of other mates were all that was left of the original compliment at the end.

Can I note that today is Remembrance Day today in the UK and Commonwealth, and also commemorates 80 years since the end of the Second World War.

We remember all those in all conflicts who did not return. God rest their souls.

Just to note that the Museum of London is currently closed as it relocates to Smithfields. It is due to open in "late 2026" so it's not yet certain if it will have reopened in time for your visit.

Oh No @Cat VH! Museum of London is one of my favorite museums! Hopefully, it's open by the time we visit. If not maybe our first day is super chill. Perhaps I'll take my partner to Harrods - where else can you be served at a lunch counter by a man in a full suit? (assuming they still do this - it's been quite some time since my last visit to London) Or we can just walk around and have afternoon tea somewhere.

Hi, Dulce Pequeno,

As you'll have a car, and you'll be staying near Stirling, there is one site nearby which will tick your historical archaeology and Outlander boxes: Callendar House/Park, near Falkirk.

Callendar House is a very well maintained (and free!) museum. It also has an excellent tearoom. However, for Outlander fans, the Callendar House kitchen is where Murtagh beheaded the Duke of Sandringham (season 2, episode 11).

In Callendar Park, which surrounds the house, is a section of the Antonine Wall, which was completed in 142 A.D.

https://www.antoninewall.org/

There are several more developed Antonine Wall sites within a short drive of Falkirk:

https://www.antoninewall.org/visiting-the-antonine-wall/top-sites-to-visit

If you do decide to visit the Falkirk area, the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel are nearby, although neither has any link to Outlander!

Very best wishes for your travels!

Mike (Auchterless)

Thank you @Diane is Wandering! I didn't know about the Tarbat Discovery Center, and it looks just like the kind of place we would love. Definitely worth a day trip up that way! Adding it to the itinerary.

Thank you @Frank II! We are taking a private tour from Durham via Peter Carney to visit Hadrian's Wall and Vindolanda. (We will take a bus to Hexham where Peter will pick us up.) The Rabbies tours look very interesting - will try to work on into the intinerary.

Thank you @isn31c for the suggestion on the Highland Folk Museum. How that was not on my radar, I don't know, but it's going on the itinerary. And the memorial is definitely something my partner would love to see.

Thank you again Mike (Auchterless)! I will add Callendar House/Park to the list. I did not know about the Antoine Wall - super cool!