Hadrian's Wall & Vindolanda Small-Group Day Trip from Edinburgh

Hadrian's Wall, the northern frontier of Roman Britain

Hadrian's Wall was begun in AD 122 on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian and ran for around 73 miles (117 km) from the River Tyne in the east to the Solway Firth in the west. It was built of stone and turf with forts, milecastles and turrets, and it marked the northern edge of the Roman province of Britannia for nearly three centuries. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Frontiers of the Roman Empire.

On this Hadrian's Wall tour from Edinburgh we stop at a well-preserved section in Northumberland, where the wall follows the high crags of the Whin Sill and you can walk the ridge. The views over open moorland show why the Romans chose this line. Your guide explains how the wall was built and manned, and answers the question that many visitors ask, which is how much of the wall still stands.

Vindolanda, a Roman fort with living archaeology

Vindolanda is one of the most important Roman archaeological sites in Britain. The fort was established around AD 85, before Hadrian's Wall, and it grew into a large settlement with a bathhouse, workshops and houses. Excavations continue every year, so you may see archaeologists at work. Entry to Vindolanda is included in the booking, so you can walk through the stone remains and the reconstructed buildings without buying a ticket.

The site is best known for the Vindolanda tablets, thin wooden leaves written in ink around AD 100 and preserved in the wet soil. They are the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain and include an invitation to a birthday party. The museum also displays leather shoes, textiles and weapons that survived in the same conditions, which makes the Roman soldiers and their families feel very real.

The Roman Army Museum

The Roman Army Museum stands beside the site of the fort of Magna, at Carvoran, and tells the story of the soldiers who guarded the empire's frontier. Entry is included in the booking. It uses films, models and original objects to explain how legionaries and auxiliaries trained, what they wore and how they lived far from Rome, and it is a good place to understand the human side of the wall.

The museum is a useful stop for families and for anyone who wants a museum visit before or after the outdoor walking. Displays focus on daily life, equipment and the multi-national make-up of the army, and the site sits on the Roman road called the Stanegate. Give yourself the time your guide suggests, and check opening hours and days with us if you are planning around a particular date.

Housesteads and the route through the Borders

If Vindolanda is closed on the day of your tour, we visit Housesteads Roman Fort instead, and entry to it is covered in the same way. Housesteads is one of the best-preserved forts on the wall, with a hospital, granaries, barrack foundations and the communal latrines that fascinate every visitor. It sits on a ridge with sweeping views, which many people rank as the best place to see Hadrian's Wall.

The route to the wall is part of the experience. We leave Edinburgh and cross the Scottish Borders, then enter Northumberland National Park, with commentary on the border landscape, the reivers and the Roman roads. Because it is a long day of about eleven hours, we keep the group small, so there is time to ask questions and take photographs without rushing.