Northumberland

The gateway to Scotland, Northumberland is a land of quite farms and small, flowing hills with some wonderful countryside.

The following are some of the things to see and do in Northumberland:

• Hadrian's Wall - Stretching from coast to coast (Carlisle to Newcastle) the 70-mile long wall was built by the Romans to 'separate the Romans from the Barbarians'. A few of the sections still remain along with various sites such as Roman forts and towns and the whole area is a World Heritage Site. A must for anyone interested in ancient Britain or history in ANY way.

Housesteads was a Roman fort on Hadrian's wall that is now owned and operated by English Heritage. The ruins of the fort remain giving a good idea of the site as you walk around with commanding views of the surrounding countryside.

There is a pay and display car park for the site off the road (B6318) where there is also a small café (and toilets).

The site itself is accessible by a 15-20 minute walk up a gravel path and a fairly steep hill to the main visitor centre. The visitor centre has a small museum and a short film about the site.

Vindolanda was the site of a roman fort and city just south of Hadrian's Wall, only a short distance from Housesteads and 20 minutes west of Hexham.

For further information, please see:

• Personal Journal - I created when I visited North Yorkshire and Northumberland (Hadrian's Wall) in 2000