Visit Hadrian's Wall and explore Roman Britain with Mountain Goat
Hadrian’s Wall is around 80 miles long and was the northern boundary of the mighty Roman Empire for around 3 Centuries. It was built by a force of 15000 men over a 7-year period and comprises of forts, Mile Castles and every third of a mile a Turret, stretching from the North Sea to the Irish Sea. Originally, up to 3m wide and 5 to 6m high but much of the ruins today are 1 to 2m high. To the south of the wall is the Vallum, a ditch mound, designating the south boundary of the militarised zone. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987. Hadrian’s vision to make the Roman Empire more secure by separating the Roman and Barbarian territories is still very visible today, as you can see in the photos below.
Here at Mountain Goat we are passionate about the history of our country and therefore we just had to create a tour from the Lake District which explored this. Our tour guides have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Lake District and it’s surrounding areas. Their passion for history, culture and nature is second to none which really shines through on all our tours, especially our Roman Britain and Hadrian’s Wall tour.
It says it in the name really, you don’t just get to see Hadrian’s wall, you will learn so much about Roman Britain whilst seeing two World Heritage Sites in one day.
As we travel alongside the wall you get a real sense of understanding of the relentlessly challenging landscape that Hadrian’s men had to conquer. From fast rivers, the hard rock of Whin Sill and miles of rolling hills, it’s incredible to know that nothing defeated them.
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To get a deeper insight into the Romans and their lives, we make a stop at the Roman Army Museum. The Museum is located in the stunning countryside next to Hadrian’s wall and it is based at the site of Carvoran Roman Fort. It is a fantastic tribute to the Roman’s extraordinary military legacy.
After the Roman Army Museum our tour takes you to Vindolanda, a roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian’s Wall. Vindolanda was here before Hadrian’s Wall was built, it played a big role in its construction, became a garrison for the Wall and then continued for hundreds of years after the Wall was abandoned by its Roman garrisons. Its history is long and rich, its legacy to the study and history of Roman Britain unquestionable.
Vindolanda is an amazing working archaeological dig site. There were 9 forts built on the site over the 400 years of occupancy of the Roman’s. Each day during the summer, treasures are uncovered by the volunteer excavators. The on-site museum, extended for 2018, displays the best of the artefacts. You can wander through the fort or Vicus remains imagining the sights and sounds the building walls would have heard.
