Roman Britain & Hadrian's Wall

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Please note: We do not allow children under the age of 5

Your tour at a glance

This tour journeys along segments of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Every Friday, the Hadrian’s Wall tour travels out of the Lake District for the day and up to the Scottish Borders. The main focus of the day is the ‘Wall’ which we travel along exploring its remains of towers and landmarks.

During your day you will have time to enjoy the Roman Army Museum, exploring the history of the Romans and learning what it was like to work on the ‘Wall’.

A new addition to the tour is Vindolanda, a Roman settlement, one of Europe's largest excavation sites and is still being worked on today.

Please note, this tour does not run between November and March due to the winter season. Please visit our main Lake District page to find our winter tours. Alternatively we can arrange a private tour for you, please take a look at the options here.

 How we use this information

Prices

Summer 2023

25th March 2023 - 29th October 2023

Adult Senior Student Child
£70 £68 £68 £61

Summer 2024

23rd March 2024 - 27th October 2024

AdultSeniorStudentChild
£75£73£73£66

Tour Days

Summer 2023

25th March 2023 - 29th October 2023

Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Duration

Full day 09:15 - 18:00

Activity Level

This tour is a guided scenic mini-coach tour, but there are times when you will have the option to walk up to a few hundred metres to take in a view or point of interest.

Language

English

Group Size

16 passengers

Includes

  • Transport in a 16 seater mini-bus;
  • On-board commentary in English;
  • Roman Army Museum entry;
  • Entry into Vindolanda;
  • Pick-up service from selected hotels.

 

Main Departure point

Windermere Tourist Information Centre

How to find us

Pickup Service

Windermere Tourist Information Centre

We also offer a hotel pick-up service for those staying in the Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside area.

Restrictions

This tour is unsuitable for children under 5.
All passengers must have their own seat.

We ask all passengers to arrive on time, as we will leave promptly at the displayed time.

We have private hire options available for those who have children under 5.

Luggage on board

There is space on-board for hand luggage, for anything larger there is luggage storage at the Windermere Tourist Information Centre.

Lunch

Lunch is not included in the tour price, there will be a lunch stop at either the Roman Army Museum or Vindolanda where you will find cafes.

Cancellation Policy

You may cancel 24 hours prior to departure and recieve a full refund. After 24 hours no refund will be issued.

For full terms and conditions please see here.

This fantastic Lake District tour to Hadrian’s Wall takes you through the heart of the Lake District through the valleys and besides the lakes and on towards Penrith and the North of the country.

This full day tour starts in Windermere with pickups from Bowness and Ambleside beforehand. The tour starts by heading north up over Kirkstone Pass. The mountain pass has an altitude of 1,489 feet making is the highest tarmac road in the National Park, so as you can imagine – the views are something special up there!

Kirkstone Pass connects Ambleside in the Rothay Valley to Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley; therefore, it is a popular, scenic route for those exploring the Lake District. Near the summit, built on the site of a 15th century Monastery, there is the old coaching inn which is popular with tourists due to its low beams, open fires, and good beer!

As we drive by the old coaching inn, you will see the commanding view down to Windermere and Morecambe Bay in the distance.

We then continue to travel north of the pass to Ullswater, where you will be taking in the fantastic views of Brotherswater and Place Fell.

Brotherswater has inspired many people, including Dorothy Wordsworth who wrote about Brotherswater when writing to her brother William back in 1802: ‘the boughs of the bare old trees, the simplicity of the mountains, and the exquisite beauty of the path….the gentle flowing of the stream, the glittering, lively lake, green fields without a living creature to be seen on them.’ So as this quote suggests, this route really does offer some inspiring scenery.

The tour then travels on towards Ullswater. Ullswater is the second largest lake in the Lake District, being approximately 9 miles long, it has also been described as the most beautiful lake in England.

Referring to William Wordsworth, it was Glencoyne Park at Ullswater that gave him the inspiration to write his most famous poem, Daffodils. As you travel alongside Ullswater your friendly driver-guide will be telling you lots of interesting facts, about the Lake District and Roman Britain.

We continue into the remote 'Debatable Lands' of the Border Reivers heading to Lanercost Priory, with time to see and visit the church built within the priory ruins and more Burne Jones windows. The Augustinian priory of Lanercost stands nearby to Hadrian’s Wall and was much involved in the Anglo-Scottish wars.

During King Edward I campaign in 1306 – 1307, he stayed at the Lanercost Priory for 6 months and it suffered terribly from Scottish raids, almost destroying the building. However, in 1537 it was finally dissolved by Henry VIII and almost all the building was stripped of lead, apart from the church. However today it is a beautiful 13th century church which remains remarkably well-preserved.

Moving on we then travel alongside Hadrian’s Wall, following it past ‘Mile Castles’ and ‘Towers’. Hadrian’s Wall is almost 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 it stood up to 3m wide and 5 to 6m high and today much of the ruins still stand at 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. The wall really is the focus of this fantastic day tour, as you will learn so much about Hadrian and his army.

The next stop will by the Roman Army Museum, where there is time for lunch and a café inside. The Roman Army Museum lies on the site of Carvoran Roman Fort adjacent to sections of Hadrian’s Wall. The museum’s artefacts, videos and reconstructions give great insight into the life of a Roman Soldier and the building of the wall at the northerly boundary of the Roman Empire. Their award-winning 3D film illustrates the military and civil engineering accomplishments of the Roman’s in Britain, which you may watch if you wish.

After lunch we the make our way to Vindolanda. Vindolanda is an amazing working archaeological dig site to the south of Hadrian’s Wall. There were 9 forts built on the site over the 400 years of Roman occupancy. 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 will have time to wander through the fort or Vicus remains imagining the sights and sounds of life in Roman Britain.

After our trip to Vindolanda, we continue along Hadrian’s Wall seeing the spectacular Fell End, Sunny Rigg, Great Chester and finally Steel Rigg before making our way back to Windermere.

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