Hadrian's Wall Country

Hadrian's Wall runs across the narrow waist of northern England, and its best-preserved and most dramatic sections cut straight through the middle of Northumberland, along the crags above the Tyne valley.

Housesteads Roman Fort, cared for by English Heritage and the National Trust, sits on one of the wall's highest and most exposed stretches, and the wall itself is more continuously visible here than almost anywhere else along its length. A short distance away, Vindolanda is a separate Roman fort and settlement site, excavated over decades and known especially for the writing tablets recovered from its waterlogged ground layers, which preserve everyday Roman correspondence in remarkable detail. Between the two, the wall path is walkable in sections for anyone wanting to see the crags on foot rather than just from a car park.

Corbridge, at the eastern end of this stretch, is a handsome small town on the Tyne with its own Roman remains — a supply base and town that predates the wall — as well as a working town centre of stone buildings, independent shops and pubs. It sits just off the main road corridor through the Tyne valley, making it a comfortable, less remote base than staying right up on the wall itself.

Choosing a base

Corbridge or Hexham (a few miles further along the valley) both work well if you want a proper town base with a choice of places to eat, and both are a short drive from Housesteads and Vindolanda. Staying closer to the wall itself, in one of the small villages nearer Bardon Mill or Once Brewed, puts you right by the crags but with fewer amenities on your doorstep.

Where to Stay near Hadrian's Wall

• 
  The Angel of CorbridgeFamily-run hotel in the centre of Corbridge, near the abbey.
• 
  Langley Castle Hotel14th-century castle hotel at Langley-on-Tyne, near Haltwhistle.
• Hadrian HotelIn the village of Wall, close to Chesters Roman Fort.
• 
  Centre of Britain HotelOn Haltwhistle's Main Street, a short walk from the railway station.
• 
  Matfen HallCountry house hotel set in its own grounds near Corbridge.

Getting around

A car is genuinely useful along this stretch of the wall, since the sites are spread out along a rural road with limited public transport. The Tyne Valley railway line, running between Newcastle and Carlisle, does stop at Corbridge, Hexham and Bardon Mill, and a seasonal AD122 bus service also links the main wall sites during the summer months.