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justin121883
justin121883
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Hadrian's Wall (Housesteads Roman Fort)

  • March 23, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by justin121883 from New Haven, Connecticut
Hadrian's Wall (Housesteads Roman Fort)

Housesteads Roman Fort is only one of dozens of Roman sites along the length of Hadrian's Wall—but it's one of the best. Tucked up in the hills and moors outside of Haltwhistle, Housesteads is also the easiest site to get to in the off-season, when the cleverly-named AD 122 Hadrian's Wall Route (bus, from Newcastle) only runs on Sundays. Regular trains run between Haltwhistle and Newcastle, and regular buses run between Haltwhistle and the Wall. The site itself is wonderfully kitsch-less—just the ruined foundations of the hilltop fort and the wall, dotted by informational signs in multiple languages, accompanied by a small museum housing more archaeological and architectural detail. The bus drops you off in the visitor's center parking lot at the bottom of a high hill; it's a short walk (with a moderately steep grade) through some haunting scenery to the top. The grounds around the fort have been converted to pastures, and in the off-season, the sheep far outnumber people in this distant neck of the woods. One caution, though: children will likely find Housesteads a little dull. If you can't take the AD 122 bus and battle their short attention spans by hitting several different sites along the wall, you might be better served heading out to Segudnum Roman Fort at Wallsend, which, though in a much less atmospheric setting, has a larger and more colorful museum, as well as re-enactments on certain days.

From journal Newcastle and Northumberland: England at the Edge of the World

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