We are doing two weeks in the UK, with one in England, then driving to York for one overnight, and then onto Stirling for another week. We would like to see Hadrian's wall and I am wondering the best place to stop and see it on our trip north from York to Stirling? Any input would be great, thanks!!!!
Posted by
Dallas
1022 posts
Housesteads Fort on the wall is outstanding. You could drive through the Yorkshire Dales on the way, maybe see the Melrose Abbey ruin as well.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Housesteads, midway between Carlisle and Newcastle, has quite a lot of it left, plus the remains of one of the forts.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1863 posts
If you drive up to Once Brewed you can easily access a stretch of the wall for a walk of an hour or so. You can see the famous sycamore tree (the one from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). You definitely need good walking shoes for this.
Posted by
BC, Canada
345 posts
My opinion is that the best bit is between Housesteads and Twice Brewed. Stunning views, large chunks of intact wall and milestones, and wonderful parts like Sycamore Gap. I get plenty of oohs and aahs over my pictures of that section. Forgot to mention, you can walk that chunk of the wall, then take a bus back to your car and keep going. Great busing system runs along the wall.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
If you've not found it, do check out the website for National Trail for Hadrian's Wall. http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall/ I visited Chesters as well as Housesteads. It has a different feel. Housesteads was more dramatic and Chesters a little more intimate. BTW think about checking out one of the Abbey's on your way to Stirling. Or if you're further west, Hermitage Castle is very dramatic and doesn't take long to tour. Pam
Posted by
Carlisle, Cumbria, UK
1 posts
Hi Sandi, The trick here is to tie in the Wall with your trip north. The natural route from York north would take you through Newcastle upon Tyne and then north along the A1M, running close to the coast and up to Edinburgh.To detour off this you would need to take the A69 towards Carlisle. Once you come to the market town of Hexham then you are at the start of the best section of the Wall. At this point you join the wall at Chollerford with Chesters being the first and closest "fort". After that you have Housesteads and Vindolanda. Anywhere between these forts is great. When you have finished, if you have time, take the A68 north and you will have the opportunity to travel through some of the Scottish border towns like Jedburgh. It won't be as quick as going back to the A1M but a lot more scenic. Check out these photos of Steelrigg, just to the west of Housesteads http://www.flickr.com/photos/northumberland/sets/72157626003252142/ Good luck Colin
Posted by
OP
Fredericton, New Brunsw, Canada
103 posts
Thank you so much for the suggestions!!!
Posted by
Seattle, USA
16 posts
I wouldn't disagee with any of these suggestions. Three years ago, we took most of a day to explore the wall on a trip up north. We drove north from the Lakes District and started in the west meandering our way east. At the end of the day we stayed in Newcastle and turned in our rental car and then took the train back south to London the following day. Our day exploring the wall was one of the most memorable of our trip. Enjoy!