Things to Do

You will find something to suit every taste and budget in Hadrian's Wall Country. Steeped in history there many Roman sites, forts, museums and countless milecastles and turrets to explore as well as many great non-Roman places on offer.

Explore the stunning landscape of the World Heritage Site on foot, or cycle at your own ease or accompanied by one of our recommended itineraries and take in the fantastic atmosphere of the bustling cities, market towns and quaint villages you will find along the way.

We don’t want to sound as if we’ve missed the point here, but there are some great non-Roman places to explore. Like Lanercost Priory, where the beautiful 13th-century church still stands. And, what’s more, it’s still used.

Round here, Christian heritage goes way back. Across the north of England the trail remains alive: Durham Cathedral and Castle; the twin Anglo-Saxon monasteries at Wearmouth-Jarrow; the Holy Island of Lindisfarne; and Hexham Abbey (those crypt stones look suspiciously Roman). St Cuthbert got all the way from Lindisfarne to west of Carlisle – can you?

Don’t even think of going head-to-head with Carlisle Castle: those walls have seen it all before. Past guests have included bold Border Reivers and parched Jacobites reduced to licking stones to stay alive (take your own water). Led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Jacobites once even set up a temporary HQ in nearby Brampton. And so could you, come to think of it (B&B or farmhouse, you choose).

Robbing and pillaging were commonplace during 250 years of warring Reiver history. Not the done thing now, obviously, but the defensive walls of bastle houses can still be seen. And if you’ve any steam left then chug over to Wylam, birthplace of one George Stephenson (of railway fame).

Use our Things to Do search or follow the links below to get more information about a stay in Hadrian's Wall Country:

• Roman Heritage
• Walking
• Cycling
• Family Fun