Sleeping and Eating near Hadrian’s Wall
Holy Island and Bamburgh Castle
Durham • Beamish Museum • Hadrian’s Wall • Holy Island • Bamburgh Castle
Northeast England harbors some of the country’s best historical sights. Go for a Roman ramble at Hadrian’s Wall, a reminder that Britain was an important Roman colony 2,000 years ago. Make a pilgrimage to Holy Island, where Christianity gained its first toehold in Britain. Marvel at England’s greatest Norman church—Durham’s cathedral—and enjoy an evensong service there. At the excellent Beamish Museum, travel back in time to the 18th and 19th centuries.
For train travelers, Durham is the most convenient overnight stop in this region. But it’s problematic to see en route to another destination, since there’s no baggage storage in Durham: Either stay overnight, or do Durham as a day trip from York. If you like Roman ruins, visit Hadrian’s Wall (tricky but doable by public transportation with transfers, easiest Easter-Oct). The Beamish Museum is an easy day trip from Durham (less than an hour by bus).
By car, you can easily visit everything in this chapter. Spend a night in Durham and a night near Hadrian’s Wall. With a car, you can easily visit Beamish Museum on the way to Hadrian’s Wall.
For the best quick visit to Durham, arrive by mid-afternoon, in time to tour the cathedral and enjoy the evensong service (Tue-Sat at 17:15, Sun at 15:30; limited access and no tours during June graduation ceremonies). Sleep in Durham. Visit Beamish the next morning before continuing on to your next destination.
Without its cathedral, Durham would hardly be noticed. But this magnificently situated structure is hard to miss (even if you’re zooming by on the train). Seemingly happy to go nowhere, Durham sits along the tight curve of its river, snug below its castle and famous church. It has a medieval, cobbled atmosphere and a scraggly peasant’s indoor market just off the main square. Durham is the home to England’s third-oldest university, with a student vibe jostling against its lingering working-class mining-town feel. You’ll see tattooed and pierced people in search of job security and a good karaoke bar. Yet Durham has a youthful liveliness and a small-town warmth that shines—especially on sunny days, when most everyone is out licking ice-cream cones.
As it has for a thousand years, tidy little Durham (pop. 30,000) clusters everything safely under its castle, within the protective hairpin bend of the River Wear. Because of the town’s hilly topography, going just about anywhere involves a lot of up and down...and back up again. The main spine through the middle of town (Framwellgate Bridge, Silver Street, and Market Place) is level to moderately steep, but walking in any direction from that area involves some serious uphill climbing. Take advantage of the handy Cathedral Bus to avoid the tiring elevation changes—especially up to the cathedral and castle area, or to the train station (perched high on a separate hill).
Due to funding cuts, Durham no longer has a physical TI, but the town does maintain a call center and website (calls answered Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 11:00-16:00, tel. 03000-262-626, www.thisisdurham.com, visitor@thisisdurham.com).
Though not an official TI, the Durham World Heritage Site Visitor Centre, near the Palace Green, can offer some guidance, including brochures on things to see, info on castle tours, and a 12-minute video on the town (daily April-Oct 9:30-17:00, July-Aug until 18:00, Nov-March 10:00-16:30, 7 Owengate, tel. 0191/334-3805, www.durhamworldheritagesite.com). You can also ask for advice at your B&B or hotel.
By Train: From the train station, the fastest and easiest way to reach the cathedral is to hop on the convenient Cathedral Bus (described later, under “Getting Around Durham”). But the town’s setting—while steep in places—is enjoyable to stroll through (and you can begin my self-guided walk halfway through, at the Framwellgate Bridge).
To walk into town from the station, follow the walkway along the road downhill to the second pedestrian turnoff (within sight of the railway bridge), which leads almost immediately over a bridge above the busy road called Alexander Crescent. From here, you can walk to some of my recommended accommodations (using this chapter’s map—and the giant rail bridge as a handy landmark); to reach other hotels—or the river and cathedral—take North Road down into town.
By Car: Drivers simply surrender to the wonderful 400-space Prince Bishops Shopping Centre parking lot (coming from the M-1 exit, you’ll run right into it at the roundabout at the base of the old town). It’s perfectly safe, with 24-hour access. An elevator deposits you right in the heart of Durham (£2.10/up to 2 hours, £3.30/up to 4 hours, £11.50/over 6 hours, £1.50/overnight 18:00-8:00; a short block from Market Place, tel. 0191/375-0416, www.princebishops.co.uk).
Markets: The main square, known as Market Place, has an indoor market (generally Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun) and hosts outdoor markets (Sat retail market 9:30-16:30, farmers market third Thu of each month, 9:30-15:30, tel. 0191/384-6153, www.durhammarkets.co.uk).
Internet Access: The Clayport Library, set on huge Millennium Place, has about 40 terminals with free Internet access (Mon-Fri 9:30-19:00, Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, tel. 0191/386-4003).
Laundry: Durham has none within walking distance; ask your B&B host for recommendations if you’re willing to drive or take a taxi.
Tours: Blue Badge guides offer 1.5-hour city walking tours on weekends in peak season (£4, usually May-Sept Sat-Sun at 14:00, meet outside Town Hall in Market Square, contact TI call center to confirm schedule, tel. 03000-262-626). David Butler, the town historian, gives excellent private tours (reasonable prices, tel. 0191/386-1500, www.dhent.co.uk, dhent@dhent.fsnet.co.uk) as well as a weekly Durham Ghost Tour in summer (£5, July-Sept Mon at 19:00).
While all my recommended hotels, eateries, and sights are doable by foot, if you don’t feel like walking Durham’s hills, hop on the convenient Cathedral Bus (#40). This shuttle bus runs between the train station, Market Place, and the Palace Green (£0.50 all-day ticket, those over 60 ride free most of the day; daily 3/hour Mon-Fri about 8:30-17:30, from 9:00 on Sat, none on Sun; tel. 0191/372-5386, www.thisisdurham.com).
Taxis zip tired tourists to their B&Bs or back up to the train station (about £5 from city center, wait on west side of Framwellgate Bridge at the bottom of North Road).
(See “Central Durham” map, here)
• Begin at Framwellgate Bridge (down in the center of town, halfway between the train station and the cathedral).
Framwellgate Bridge was a wonder when it was built in the 12th century—it’s much longer than the river is wide and higher than seemingly necessary. It was well-designed to connect stretches of solid high ground, and to avoid steep descents toward the marshy river. Note how elegantly today’s Silver Street (which leads toward town) slopes into the Framwellgate Bridge. (Imagine that until the 1970s, this people-friendly lane was congested with traffic and buses.)
• Follow Silver Street up the hill to the town’s main square.
Durham’s Market Place retains the same plotting the prince bishop gave it when he moved villagers here in about 1100. Each long and skinny plot of land was the same width (about eight yards), maximizing the number of shops that could have a piece of the Market Place action. Find today’s distinctly narrow buildings (Thomas Cook, Whittard, and Thomson)—they still fit the 900-year-old plan. The widths of the other buildings fronting the square are multiples of that original shop width.
Examine the square’s statues. Coal has long been the basis of this region’s economy. The statue of Neptune was part of an ill-fated attempt by a coal baron to bribe the townsfolk into embracing a canal project that would make the shipment of his coal more efficient. The statue of the fancy guy on the horse is Charles Stewart Vane, the Third Marquess of Londonderry. He was an Irish aristocrat, and a general in Wellington’s army, who married a local coal heiress. A clever and aggressive businessman, he managed to create a vast business empire by controlling every link in the coal business chain—mines, railroads, boats, harbors, and so on.
In the 1850s throughout England, towns were moving their markets off squares and into Industrial Age iron-and-glass market halls. Durham was no exception, and today its funky 19th-century indoor market (which faces Market Place) is a delight to explore (closed Sun). There are also outdoor markets here on Saturdays and the third Thursday of each month.
Do you enjoy the sparse traffic in Durham’s old town? It was the first city in England to institute a “congestion fee.” When drivers enter, a camera snaps a photo of each car’s license plate, and mails them a bill for £5. This has cut downtown traffic by more than 50 percent. Locals brag that London (which now has a similar congestion fee) was inspired by their success.
• Head up the hill on Saddler Street toward the cathedral, stopping where you reach the chunk of wall at the top of a stairway. On the left, you’ll see a bridge.
A 12th-century construction, Elvet Bridge led to a town market over the river. Like Framwellgate, it’s very long (17 arches) and designed to avoid riverside muck and steep inclines. Even today, Elvet Bridge leads to an unusually wide road—once swollen to accommodate the market action. Shops lined the right-hand side of Elvet Bridge in the 12th century, as they do today. An alley separated the bridge from the buildings on the left. When the bridge was widened, it met the upper stories of the buildings on the left, which became “street level.”
Turn back to look at the chunk of wall by the top of the stairs—a reminder of a once-formidable fortification. The Scots, living just 50 miles from here, were on the rampage in the 14th century. After their victory at Bannockburn in 1314, they pushed farther south and actually burned part of Durham. Wary of this new threat, Durham built thick city walls. As people settled within the walls, the population density soared. Soon, open lanes were covered by residences and became tunnels (called “vennels”). A classic vennel leads to Saddlers Yard, a fine little 16th-century courtyard (immediately opposite Elvet Bridge). While the vennels are cute today, centuries ago they were Dickensian nightmares—the filthiest of hovels.
• Continue up Saddler Street. Just before the fork at the top of the street, duck through the purple door below the Georgian Window sign. You’ll see a bit of the medieval wall incorporated into the brickwork of a newer building, and a turret from an earlier wall. Back on Saddler Street, you can see the ghost of the old wall. (It’s exactly the width of the building now housing the Salvation Army.) Veer right at Owengate as you continue uphill to the Palace Green. (The Durham World Heritage Site Visitor Centre is near the top of the hill, on the left.)
The Palace Green was the site of the original 11th-century Saxon town, filling this green between the castle and an earlier church. Later, the town made way for 12th-century Durham’s defenses, which now enclose the green. With the threat presented by the Vikings, it’s no wonder people found comfort in a spot like this.
The castle still stands—as it has for a thousand years—on its motte (man-made mound). Like Oxford and Cambridge, Durham University is a collection of colleges scattered throughout the town, and even this castle is now part of the school. Look into the old courtyard from the castle gate. It traces the very first and smallest bailey (protected area). As future bishops expanded the castle, they left their coats of arms as a way of “signing” the wing they built. Because the Norman kings appointed prince bishops here to rule this part of their realm, Durham was the seat of power for much of northern England. The bishops had their own army and even minted their own coins. You can enter the castle only with a 45-minute guided tour, which includes the courtyard, kitchens, great hall, and chapel (£5, open most days when school is in session—but schedule varies so call ahead, buy tickets at library—described next, tel. 0191/334-2932, www.dur.ac.uk/university.college/tours).
• Turning your back to the castle and facing the cathedral, on the right is the university’s Palace Green Library.
The library hosts the Treasures of Durham University exhibit in the Wolfson Gallery. This still-evolving exhibit showcases eclectic pieces from the U of D’s substantial collection. On display are lots of rare books, scientific instruments, and several items from the university’s Oriental Museum.
One of the library’s best-known pieces is a valuable 1623 copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio (currently under restoration and likely not on display). Stolen in 1998, it resurfaced in 2008, when Englishman Raymond Scott brought the folio to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, for authentication. Experts immediately recognized it, and the book was returned to Durham. (Scott, an eccentric who lived near Durham, was acquitted of the actual theft but given an eight-year sentence for handling stolen property.) The Durham First Folio had been especially prized by scholars for its good condition and its traceable ownership back to the early 17th century. Unfortunately, it was damaged during the theft, though experts are hopeful that it can be restored (£3, Tue-Sun 10:00-16:45, closed Mon, Palace Green, tel. 0191/334-2932, www.dur.ac.uk/library/asc).
• This walk ends at Durham’s stunning cathedral, described next.
Built to house the much-venerated bones of St. Cuthbert, from Lindisfarne (known today as Holy Island), Durham’s cathedral offers the best look at Norman architecture in England. (“Norman” is British for “Romanesque.”) In addition to touring the cathedral and its attached sights, try to fit in an evensong service.
Cost and Hours: Entry to the cathedral itself is free, though a £5 donation is requested and you must pay to enter its several interior sights (described later, under “Sights in the Cloister”). The cathedral is open to visitors mid-July-Aug Mon-Sat 9:30-20:00, Sun 12:30-20:00; Sept-mid-July Mon-Sat 9:30-18:00, Sun 12:30-17:30; sometimes closes for special services, opens daily at 7:15 for worship and prayer. Access is limited for two weeks in June, when the cathedral is used for graduation ceremonies.
Information: The £1 pamphlet, A Short Guide to Durham Cathedral, is informative but dull. A bookshop, cafeteria, and WC are tucked away in the cloister. No photos, videos, or mobile phones are allowed inside the cathedral. Tel. 0191/386-4266, www.durhamcathedral.co.uk.
Tours: Regular tours run April-Oct. If one is already in session, you’re welcome to join (£5, Mon-Sat at 10:30, 11:00, and 14:00; call or check website to confirm schedule).
Evensong: For a thousand years, this cradle of English Christianity has been praising God. To really experience the cathedral, attend an evensong service. Arrive early and ask to be seated in the choir. It’s a spiritual Oz, as the choristers (12 men and 20 youngsters—now girls as well as boys) sing psalms—a red-and-white-robed pillow of praise, raised up by the powerful pipe organ. If you’re lucky and the service goes well, the organist will run a spiritual musical victory lap as the congregation breaks up (Tue-Sat at 17:15, Sun at 15:30, 1 hour, sometimes sung on Mon; visiting choirs nearly always fill in when choir is off on school break mid-July-Aug; tel. 0191/386-4266). For more on evensong, see here.
Organ Recitals: The organ plays most Wednesday evenings in July and August (£8, 19:30).
(See “Durham’s Cathedral” map, here)
Self-Guided Tour: Begin your visit outside the cathedral. From the Palace Green, notice how this fortress of God stands boldly opposite the Norman keep of Durham’s fortress of man.
Look closely: The exterior of this awe-inspiring cathedral has a serious skin problem. In the 1770s, as the stone was crumbling, they crudely peeled it back a few inches. The scrape marks give the cathedral a bad complexion to this day. For proof of this odd “restoration,” study the masonry 10 yards to the right of the door. The L-shaped stones in the corner would normally never be found in a church like this—they only became L-shaped when the surface was cut back.
At the cathedral door, the big, bronze, lion-faced knocker (a replica of the 12th-century original—now in the treasury) was used by criminals seeking sanctuary (read the explanation).
Inside, purple-robed church attendants are standing by to happily answer questions. Ideally, follow a church tour. A handy information desk is at the back (right) end of the nave.
Notice the modern window with the novel depiction of the Last Supper (above and to the left of the entry door). It was given to the church by the local Marks & Spencer department store in 1984. The shapes of the apostles represent worlds and persons of every kind, from the shadowy Judas to the brightness of Jesus. This window is a good reminder that the cathedral remains a living part of the community.
Spanning the nave (toward the altar from the info desk), the black marble strip on the floor was as close to the altar as women were allowed in the days when this was a Benedictine church (until 1540). Sit down (ignoring the black line) and let the fine proportions of England’s best Norman nave—and arguably Europe’s best Romanesque nave—stir you. All the frilly woodwork and stonework were added in later centuries.
The architecture of the nave is particularly harmonious because it was built in a mere 40 years (1093-1133). The round arches and zigzag carved decorations are textbook Norman. The church was also proto-Gothic, built by well-traveled French masons and architects who knew the latest innovations from Europe. Its stone and ribbed roof, pointed arches, and flying buttresses were revolutionary in England. Notice the clean lines and simplicity. It’s not as cluttered as other churches for several reasons: Out of respect for St. Cuthbert, for centuries no one else was buried here (so it’s not filled with tombs). During Reformation times, sumptuous Catholic decor was removed. Subsequent fires and wars destroyed what Protestants didn’t.
Head to the back of the nave and enter the Galilee Chapel (late Norman, from 1175). Find the smaller altar just to the left of the main altar. The paintings of St. Cuthbert and St. Oswald (seventh-century king of Northumbria) on the side walls of the niche are rare examples of Romanesque (Norman) paintings. Facing this altar, look above to your right to see more faint paintings on the upper walls above the columns. On the right side of the chapel, the upraised tomb topped with a black slab contains the remains of the Venerable Bede, an eighth-century Christian scholar who wrote the first history of England. The Latin reads, “In this tomb are the bones of the Venerable Bede.”
Back in the main church, stroll down the nave to the center, under the highest bell tower in Europe (218 feet). Gaze up. The ropes turn wheels upon which bells are mounted. If you’re stirred by the cheery ringing of church bells, tune in to the cathedral on Sunday (9:15-10:00 & 14:30-15:30) or Thursday (19:30-21:00 practice, trained bell ringers welcome, www.durhambellringers.org.uk) when the resounding notes tumble merrily through the entire town.
Continuing east (all medieval churches faced east), you enter the choir. Monks worshipped many times a day, and the choir in the center of the church provided a cozy place to gather in this vast, dark, and chilly building. Mass has been said daily here in the heart of the cathedral for 900 years. The fancy wooden benches are from the 17th century. Behind the altar is the delicately carved Neville Screen from 1380 (made of Normandy stone in London, shipped to Newcastle by sea, then brought here by wagon). Until the Reformation, the niches contained statues of 107 saints. Exit the choir from the far right side (south). Look for the stained-glass window (to your right) that commemorates the church’s 1,000th anniversary in 1995. The colorful scenes depict England’s history, from coal miners to cows to computers.
Step down behind the high altar into the east end of the church, which contains the 13th-century Chapel of the Nine Altars. Built later than the rest of the church, this is Gothic—taller, lighter, and relatively more extravagant than the Norman nave. On the right, see the powerful modern pietà made of driftwood, with brass accents by local sculptor Fenwick Lawson.
Climb a few steps to the tomb of St. Cuthbert. An inspirational leader of the early Christian Church in north England, St. Cuthbert lived in the Lindisfarne monastery (100 miles north of Durham, today called Holy Island—see here). He died in 687. Eleven years later, his body was exhumed and found to be miraculously preserved. This stoked the popularity of his shrine, and pilgrims came in growing numbers. When Vikings raided Lindisfarne in 875, the monks fled with his body (and the famous illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels, now in the British Library in London). In 995, after 120 years of roaming, the monks settled in Durham on an easy-to-defend tight bend in the River Wear. This cathedral was built over Cuthbert’s tomb.
Throughout the Middle Ages, a shrine stood here and was visited by countless pilgrims. In 1539, during the Reformation—whose proponents advocated focusing on God rather than saints—the shrine was destroyed. But pilgrims still come, especially on St. Cuthbert’s feast day (March 20).
Turn around and walk back the way you came. In the south transept (to your left) is the entrance to the tower (described below), as well as an astronomical clock and the Chapel of the Durham Light Infantry, a regiment of the British Army (1881-1968). The old flags and banners hanging above were actually carried into battle.
Beyond the transept, also on the left side of the nave, is the door to the cloister, with more sights—including the treasury collection and the monks’ dormitory (described later). Along the wall by the door to the cloister, notice the memorial honoring coal miners who died, and those who “work in darkness and danger in those pits today.” (This message is a bit dated—Durham’s coal mines closed down in the 1980s.) The nearby book of remembrance lists specific mine victims. As an ecclesiastical center and a major university town as well as a gritty, blue-collar coal-mining town, Durham’s population has long been a complicated mix: priests, academics, and the working class.
Tower: The view from the tower will cost you 325 steps and £5 (Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, closes at 15:00 in winter, sometimes open Sun outside of services, last entry 20 minutes before closing; closed during events and in bad weather; must be at least 4’3” tall, no backless shoes; enter through south transept).
Sights in the Cloister: The following sights are within the cloister (which provides a fine view back up to the church towers—made briefly famous in the Harry Potter films, described on here). Each sight has a separate ticket, though a single ticket covering all of them may be offered (ask at the cathedral info desk).
The monks’ dormitory, now a library under an original 14th-century timber roof, is filled with Anglo-Saxon stones such as old Celtic crosses (£1, Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, Sun 13:00-15:30).
The reshuffled Treasures of St. Cuthbert collection recently moved to the Monastic Great Kitchen and should be reopened when you visit. Filled with medieval bits and holy pieces, it contains the actual relics from St. Cuthbert’s tomb—his coffin, vestments, and cross—as well as items from the Norman/medieval period (when the monks of Durham busily copied manuscripts), the Reformation, and the 17th century (check prices and times at info desk or by calling the cathedral).
In the renovated undercroft, you’ll find a shop and across the way, the fine Undercroft cafeteria (daily 10:00-16:30, tel. 0191/386-3721).
There’s little to see in Durham beyond its cathedral, but it’s a pleasant place to go for a stroll and enjoy its riverside setting.
Durham Heritage Centre Museum—Situated in the old Church of St. Mary-le-Bow near the cathedral, this modest, somewhat hokey, but charming little museum does its best to illuminate the city’s history, and is worthwhile on a rainy day. The exhibits, which are scattered willy-nilly throughout the old nave, include a reconstructed Victorian-era prison cell; a look at Durham industries past and present, especially coal mining (in Victorian times, the river was literally black from coal); and a 10-minute movie about 20th-century Durham. In the garden on the side of the church are two modern sculptures by local artist Fenwick Lawson, whose work you’ll also see in the cathedral.
Cost and Hours: £2; July-Sept daily 11:00-16:30; June daily 14:00-16:30; April-May and Oct Sat-Sun 14:00-16:30, closed Mon-Fri; closed Nov-March; corner of North Bailey and Bow Lane, tel. 0191/384-5589, www.durhamheritagecentre.org.uk.
Riverside Path—For a 20-minute woodsy escape, walk Durham’s riverside path from busy Framwellgate Bridge to sleepy Prebends Bridge.
Boat Cruise and Rental—Hop on the Prince Bishop for a relaxing one-hour narrated cruise of the river that nearly surrounds Durham (£7, Easter-Oct; for schedule call 24-hour info line at 0191/386-9525, check their website, or go down to the dock at Brown’s Boat House at Elvet Bridge, just east of old town; www.princebishoprc.co.uk). Sailings vary based on weather and tides. For some exercise with identical scenery, you can rent a rowboat at the same pier (£5/hour per person, £10 deposit, Easter-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, June-Aug until 18:00, last boat rental one hour before closing, tel. 0191/386-3779).
(area code: 0191)
Close-in pickings are slim in Durham; there are only a handful of B&Bs and a few hotels within easy walking distance of the town center. During graduation (typically the last two weeks of June), everything books up well in advance and prices increase dramatically. Rooms can be tight on weekends any time of year. If the B&Bs are full, Durham could be a good place to resort to a bigger chain hotel (Premier Inn or Marriott).
$$$ Victorian Town House B&B offers three spacious, boutique-like rooms in an 1853 townhouse. It’s in a nice residential area just down the hill from the train station and is handy to the town center (Sb-£60-65, Db-£85-95, family room for up to 4 people-£85-120, cash only, 2-night minimum preferred April-Oct, some view rooms, free Wi-Fi, DVD library, 2 Victoria Terrace, 10-minute walk from train or bus station, tel. 0191/370-9963, www.durhambedandbreakfast.com, stay@durhambedandbreakfast.com, friendly Jill and Andy).
$$$ Castleview Guest House rents five airy, restful rooms in a well-located, 250-year-old guesthouse next door to a little church. Located on a charming cobbled street, it’s just above Silver Street and the Framwellgate Bridge (Sb-£60, standard Db-£85, larger Db-£100, cash preferred, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, free street-parking permit, 4 Crossgate, tel. 0191/386-8852, www.castle-view.co.uk, info@guesthousesdurham.co.uk, Anne and Mike Williams).
$$ Cathedral View Town House rents five rooms a steep 10-minute uphill walk from the library plaza. They have a fine backyard terrace, where you can enjoy the striking namesake panorama and eat your breakfast in good weather (Sb-£75, Db-£85, cathedral-view Db-£90, variety of breakfast options, free Wi-Fi; from Market Place, cross the bridge, and walk up Claypath—which becomes Gilesgate—to 212 Gilesgate; tel. 0191/386-9566, www.cathedralview.co.uk, cathedralview@hotmail.com, Karen and Jim).
$$ Farnley Tower, a decent but impersonal B&B, has 13 large rooms and a quirky staff. On a quiet street at the top of a hill, it’s a 15-minute hike up from the town center. Though you won’t find the standard B&B warmth and service, this is a suitable alternative when the central hotels are booked (Sb-£65, Db-£85, superior Db-£95—some with cathedral view, family room-£120, 2 percent fee for credit cards, free Wi-Fi, phones in rooms, easy free parking, inviting yard, The Avenue—hike up this steep street and look for the sign on the right, tel. 0191/375-0011, fax 0191/383-9694, www.farnley-tower.co.uk, enquiries@farnley-tower.co.uk, Raj and Roopal Naik). The Naiks also run the inventive Gourmet Spot fine-dining restaurant, in the same building.
$$$ Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County scatters its 150 posh, four-star, but slightly scruffy rooms among several buildings sprawling across the river from the city center. The Leisure Club has a pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, spa, and fitness equipment (prices vary, standard Db generally about £90-110, pricier “supreme” rooms available—check website for exact prices and deals; breakfast included in some rates but otherwise £15.50 extra, elevator, pay Wi-Fi in lobby, pay cable Internet in rooms, restaurant, bar, parking-£5, Old Elvet, tel. 0191/386-6821 or tel. 0870-400-7286, fax 0191/386-0704, www.marriott.co.uk).
$$ Kingslodge Hotel & Restaurant is a slightly worn but comfortable 21-room place with charming terraces, an attached restaurant, and a pub. Located in a pleasantly wooded setting, it’s convenient for train travelers (Sb-£60-65, Db-£75-85, family room-£109-115, free Wi-Fi, free parking, Waddington Street, Flass Vale, tel. 0191/370-9977, www.kingslodge.info, kingslodgehotel@yahoo.co.uk).
$$ Premier Inn Durham City Center, squeezed between Clayport Library and the river, has 103 cookie-cutter purple rooms in a very convenient central location (Sb/Db-usually around £68-78, check online for prepaid deals as low as £29, continental breakfast-£5.25, full English breakfast-£8.25, air-con, elevator, pay Wi-Fi, Freemans Place, tel. 0871-527-8338 or 0191/374-4400).
$$ Student Housing Open to Anyone: Durham Castle, a student residence actually on the castle grounds facing the cathedral, rents rooms during the summer break (generally July-Sept). Request a room in the stylish main building, which is more appealing than the modern dorm rooms (S-£31-35, Sb-£42-80, D-£54-70, Db-£76-90, fancier Db-£185-200, price depends on room size and amenities, elegant breakfast hall, Palace Green, tel. 0191/334-4106, fax 0191/334-3801, www.dur.ac.uk/university.college, durham.castle@durham.ac.uk). Note that the same office also rents rooms in other university buildings, but most are far less convenient to the city center—make sure to request the Durham Castle location when booking.
Durham is a university town with plenty of lively, inexpensive eateries, but there’s not much to get excited about. Especially on weekends, the places downtown are crowded with noisy college kids and rowdy townies. Stroll down North Road, across Framwellgate Bridge, up through Market Place, and up Saddler Street, and consider the options suggested below. The better choices are each a five-minute uphill walk from this main artery, and worth the short trek.
Updated British Food: Oldfields serves pricey, updated British classics made from locally sourced ingredients. The inviting dining room feels upscale but not snooty, and there’s another, more-traditional dining room upstairs. While the service can be spotty and some locals wonder if this place is resting on its laurels, it remains one of the best options in town (£5-7 starters, £13-18 main dishes; lunch specials—£12/two courses, £15/three courses; Mon-Sat 12:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-21:00, 18 Claypath, tel. 0191/370-9595).
Pubs Across the Elvet Bridge: Two good options are within a five-minute walk of the Elvet Bridge (just east of the old town). The Court Inn offers an eclectic menu of pub grub and an open, lively atmosphere (£4-6 sandwiches, £9-11 meals, long list of £3-6 Spanish-style tapas, food served daily 11:00-22:20; cross the Elvet Bridge, turn right, walk several blocks, and then look left; Court Lane, tel. 0191/384-7350). For beer and ales, locals favor The Dun Cow. There’s a cozy “snug bar” up front, and a more spacious lounge in the back. Read the legend behind the pub’s name on the wall along the outside corridor. More sedate than the student-oriented places in the town center, this pub serves only snacks and light meals (£2-4)—come here to drink and nibble, not to feast (Mon-Sat 11:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-23:00; from the Elvet Bridge, walk five minutes straight ahead to Old Elvet 37; tel. 0191/386-9219).
On Saddler Street: The street leading from Market Place up to the cathedral is lined with eateries. Among these, the best is the youthful Hide Café—with a popular bar in front, and a sophisticated downstairs dining room in back. Locals appreciate its hip cachet and modern continental cuisine, and reservations are smart (£7-10 lunches; dinner—£5-7 starters, £10-14 main dishes; food served Mon-Sat 11:00-15:00 & 18:00-21:30, Sun 11:00-15:00; 39 Saddler Street, tel. 0191/384-1999).
Deli Lunch: Claypath Delicatessen is worth the five-minute uphill walk above Market Place. Not just any old sandwich shop, this creative place assembles fresh ingredients into tasty sandwiches, salads, sampler platters, and more. While carry-out is possible, most people eat in the casual, comfortable café setting (£3-5 light meals, Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-14:00, may be open on Mon—call ahead; from Market Place, cross the bridge and walk up Claypath to #57; tel. 0191/340-7209).
Indian: The Capital, a five-minute uphill walk above Market Place (and across the street from Claypath Deli), has well-executed Indian food in a contemporary setting (£8-12 meals, daily 18:00-23:30, 69 Claypath, tel. 0191/386-8803).
Italian: Melanzana has £9-10 pizzas and pastas, £12 chicken dishes, and £14-18 steaks in a trendy, romantic setting on the far end of the Elvet Bridge (Mon-Sat 9:00-22:00 except closed 12:30-17:00 Sept-May; Sun 10:30-21:00 year-round, 96 Elvet Bridge, tel. 0191/384-0096).
Chain Restaurants with a Bridge View: Two chain places (that you’ll find in every British city) are worth considering in Durham only because of their delightful setting right at the Old Town end of the picturesque Framwellgate Bridge: Café Rouge, with French-bistro food and decor (£5-9 starters and light meals, £11-14 main dishes, Mon-Sat 9:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-22:00, 21 Silver Street, tel. 0191/384-3429); and Bella Italia, next door and down the stairs, with a terrace overlooking the river and surprisingly good food (£5-6 starters, £7-10 pizzas and pastas, Tue-Sat 10:00-23:00, Sun-Mon 10:00-22:30, reservations recommended, 20 Silver Street, tel. 0191/386-1060).
Fish-and-Chips: Bells, just off Market Place toward the cathedral, is a standby for carry-out fish-and-chips. I’d skip their fancier dining room (£5-7, hours vary but likely Mon-Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-24:00, Sun 12:00-16:00).
Splurge Outside Town: Bistro 21, an untouristy splurge serving modern French/Mediterranean fare and good seafood, is one of Durham’s top restaurants. Unfortunately, it’s about 1.5 miles out of Durham—practical only for drivers (£7-10 starters, £15-22 main dishes; dinner special available Mon-Thu anytime and Fri-Sat 18:00-19:00—£16.50/two courses, £19/three courses; open Mon-Sat 12:00-14:00 & 18:00-22:00, closed Sun, northwest of town, Aykley Heads, tel. 0191/384-4354).
Supermarket: Marks & Spencer is in the old town, just off Market Place (Mon-Sat 8:30-18:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, 4 Silver Street, across from post office). Next door is a Tesco Metro (Mon-Sat 7:00-22:00, Sun 11:00-17:00). You can picnic on Market Place, or on the benches and grass outside the cathedral entrance (but not on the Palace Green, unless the park police have gone home).
From Durham by Train to: York (3-4/hour, 45 minutes), Keswick/Lake District (train to Penrith—hourly, 3 hours, change in Newcastle and Carlisle; then bus to Keswick—Mon-Sat hourly, Sun 7/day, 45 minutes), London (1/hour direct, 3 hours, more with changes), Hadrian’s Wall (take train to Newcastle—4/hour, 15 minutes, then a bus or a train/bus combination to near Hadrian’s Wall—see “Getting Around Hadrian’s Wall” on here), Edinburgh (1/hour direct, 2 hours, more with changes, less frequent in winter). Train info: tel. 0845-748-4950, www.nationalrail.co.uk.
As you head north from Durham on the M-1 motorway, you’ll pass a famous bit of public art: The Angel of the North, a modern, rusted-metal angel standing 65 feet tall, with a wingspan of 175 feet (wider than a Boeing 757). While initially controversial when it was erected in 1998, it has since become synonymous with Northeast England, and is a beloved local fixture.
This huge, 300-acre open-air museum, which re-creates the years 1825 and 1913 in northeast England, is England’s best museum of its type. It takes at least three hours to explore its four sections: Pit Village (a coal-mining settlement with an actual mine), The Town (a 1913 street lined with actual shops), Pockerley Old Hall (a “gentleman farmer’s” manor house), and Home Farm (a preserved farm and farmhouse). This isn’t a wax museum. If you touch the exhibits, they may smack you. Attendants at each stop happily explain everything. In fact, the place is only really interesting if you talk to the attendants—who make it worth ▲▲▲.
Cost and Hours: £17.50, children 5-16-£10, under 5-free, 25 percent discount with bus ticket—see below; to visit over several days, choose the “Beamish Unlimited Pass” at no extra charge to make your ticket valid for a year; Easter-Oct open daily 10:00-17:00; Nov-Easter only The Town and Pit Village are open but vintage trams still run, Tue-Thu and Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mon and Fri, half-price on weekdays; check events schedule on chalkboard as you enter, last tickets sold at 15:00 year-round, tel. 0191/370-4000, www.beamish.org.uk.
Getting There: By car, the museum is five minutes off the A-1/M-1 motorway (one exit north of Durham at Chester-le-Street/Junction 63, well-signposted, 12 miles and a 25-minute drive northwest of Durham).
Getting to Beamish from Durham by bus is a snap on peak-season Saturdays via direct bus #128 (£3.70 day pass, 8/day, 30 minutes, runs April-Oct only, stops at Durham train and bus stations). Otherwise, catch bus #21 or #50 from the Durham bus station (£3.70 day pass, 3-4/hour, 25 minutes) and transfer at Chester-le-Street to bus #28 or #28A, which take you right to the museum entrance (2/hour Mon-Sat, hourly Sun, 15 minutes, leaves from central bus kiosk a half-block away, tel. 0845-606-0260, www.simplygo.com). Show your bus ticket for a 25 percent museum discount.
Getting Around the Muse-um: Pick up a free map at the entry to help navigate the four different zones; while some are side-by-side, others are up to a 15-minute walk apart. Vintage trams and cool, circa-1910 double-decker buses shuttle visitors around the grounds, and their attendants are helpful and knowledgeable. Signs on the trams advertise a variety of 19th-century products, from “Borax, for washing everything” to “Murton’s Reliable Travelling Trunks.”
Eating at Beamish: There are several eateries scattered around Beamish, including a pub and tearooms (in The Town), a fish-and-chips stand (in the Pit Village), and various cafeterias and snack stands. Or bring a picnic.
Self-Guided Tour: I’ve described the four areas in counterclockwise order from the entrance.
From the entrance building, bear left along the road, then watch for the turnoff on the right to the Pit Village. This is a company town built around a coal mine, with a schoolhouse, a Methodist chapel, and a row of miners’ homes with long, skinny pea-patch gardens out front. Poke into some of the homes to see their modest interiors. In the Board School, explore the different classrooms, and look for the interesting poster with instructions for avoiding consumption (a.k.a. tuberculosis, a huge public-health crisis back then).
Next, cross to the adjacent Colliery (coal mine) where you can take a fascinating—if claustrophobic—20-minute tour into the drift mine (check in at the “lamp camp”—tours depart when enough people gather, generally every 5-10 minutes). Your guide will tell you stories about beams collapsing, gas exploding, and flooding; after that cheerful speech, you’ll don a hard hat as you’re led into the mine. Nearby (across the tram tracks) is the fascinating engine works, where you can see the actual steam-powered winding engine used to operate the mine elevator. The “winderman” demonstrates how he skillfully eases both coal and miners up and down the tight shaft of the mine. This delicate, high-stakes job was one of the most sought-after at the entire Colliery—passed down from father to son—and the winderman had to stay in this building for his entire shift (the seat of his chair flips up to reveal a built-in WC).
A path leads through the woods to Georgian-era Pockerley, which has two parts. First you’ll see the Waggonway, a big barn filled with steam engines, including the re-created, first-ever passenger train from 1825. (Occasionally this train takes modern-day visitors for a spin on 1825 tracks—a hit with railway buffs.)
Then, climb the hill to Pockerley Old Hall, the manor house of a gentleman farmer and his family. The house dates from the 1820s, and—along with the farmhouse described later—is Beamish’s only vintage building still on its original site (other buildings at Beamish were relocated from elsewhere and reconstructed here). While not extremely wealthy, the farmer who lived here owned large tracts of land and could afford to hire help to farm it for him. This rustic home is no palace, but it was comfortable for the period. Costumed docents in the kitchen often bake delicious cookies from old recipes...and hand out samples.
The small garden terrace out front provides beautiful views across the pastures. From the garden, turn left and locate the narrow stairs up to the “old house.” Actually under the same roof as the gentleman farmer’s family, this space consists of a few small rooms that were rented by some of the higher-up workers to shelter their entire families of up to 15 children (young boys worked on the farm, while girls were married off early). While the parents had their own bedroom, the children all slept in the loft up above (notice the ladder in the hall).
From the manor house, hop on a vintage tram or bus, or walk 10 minutes, to the Edwardian-era The Town (c. 1913). This bustling street features several working shops and other buildings that are a delight to explore. In the Masonic Hall, ogle the grand, high-ceilinged meeting room, and check out the fun old metal signs inside the garage. Across the street, poke into the courtyard to find the stables, which are full of carriages. The heavenly smelling candy store sells old-timey sweets, and has an actual workshop in back with trays of free samples. The newsagent sells stationery, cards, and old toys, while in the grocery, you can see old packaging and the scales used for weighing out products. Other buildings include a clothing store, a working pub (The Sun Inn, Mon-Sat 11:00-16:30, Sun 12:00-16:30, tel. 01913/702-908), Barclays Bank, and a hardware store featuring a variety of “toilet sets” (not what you think).
For lunch, try the Tea Rooms cafeteria (upstairs, daily 10:00-16:00). Or, if the weather is good, picnic in the grassy park with the gazebo next to the tram stop. The row of townhouses includes both homes and offices (if the dentist is in, chat with him to hear some harrowing stories about pre-Novocain tooth extraction). At the circa-1913 railway station at the far end of The Town, you can stand on the bridge over the tracks to watch old steam engines go back and forth—along with a carousel of “steam gallopers.” Nearby, look for the “Westoe netty,” a circa 1890 men’s public urinal. This loo became famous in 1972 as the subject in a nostalgic Norman Rockwell-style painting of six miners and a young boy doing their business while they read the graffiti.
Finally, walk or ride a tram or bus to the Home Farm. (This is the least interesting section—if you’re running short on time, it’s skippable.) Here you’ll get to experience a petting zoo and see a “horse gin” (a.k.a. “gin gan”)—where a horse walking in a circle turned a crank on a gear to amplify its “horsepower,” helping to replace human hand labor. Near the cafeteria, you can cross a busy road (carefully) to the old farmhouse, still on its original site, where attendants sometimes bake goodies on a coal fire.
Cutting across the width of the isle of Britain, this ruined Roman wall is one of England’s most thought-provoking sights. Once a towering 20-foot-tall fortification, these days “Hadrian’s Shelf,” as some cynics call it, is only about three feet wide and three to six feet high. (The conveniently pre-cut stones of the wall were carried away by peasants during the post-Rome Dark Ages, and now form the foundations of many local churches, farmhouses, and other structures.) In most places, what’s left of the wall has been covered over by centuries of sod...making it effectively disappear into the landscape. But for those intrigued by Roman history, Hadrian’s Wall provides a fine excuse to take your imagination for a stroll. Pretend you’re a legionnaire on patrol in dangerous and distant Britannia, at the empire’s northernmost frontier...with nothing but this wall protecting you from the terrifying, bloodthirsty Picts just to the north.
Today, several chunks of the wall, ruined forts, and museums thrill history buffs. While a dozen Roman sights cling along the wall’s route, I’ve focused my coverage on an easily digestible six-mile stretch right in the middle, where you’ll find the best museums and some of the most enjoyable-to-hike stretches of the wall. Three top sights are worth visiting: Housesteads Roman Fort shows you where the Romans lived; Vindolanda’s museum shows you how they lived; and the Roman Army Museum explains the empire-wide military organization that brought them here.
A breeze for drivers, this area can also be seen fairly easily in summer by bus for those good at studying timetables (see “Getting Around Hadrian’s Wall,” later).
Hadrian’s Wall is in vogue as a destination for multi-day hikes through the pastoral English countryside. The Hadrian’s Wall National Trail runs 84 miles, following the wall’s route from coast to coast (for details, go to www.nationaltrail.co.uk/HadriansWall). Through-hikers (mostly British) can walk the wall’s entire length in four to ten days. You’ll see them bobbing along the ridgeline, drying out their socks in your B&B’s mudroom, and recharging at local pubs in the evening. For those with less time, the brief ridge walk next to the wall from Steel Rigg to Sycamore Gap to Housesteads Roman Fort gives you a perfect taste of the scenery and history.
The area described in this section is roughly between the mid-size towns of Bardon Mill and Haltwhistle, which are located along the busy A-69 highway. Each town has a train station and some handy B&Bs, restaurants, and services. However, to get right up close to the wall, you’ll need to head a couple of miles north to the adjacent villages of Once Brewed and Twice Brewed (along the B-6318 road).
Portions of the wall are in Northumberland National Park. The Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre lies along the Hadrian’s Wall bus #AD122 route, and has information on the area, including walking guides to the wall. The TV, set in front of a cozy couch, plays a variety of interesting movies about the wall and the surrounding landscape—ideal for a rainy day (Easter-Oct daily 9:30-17:00; Nov-Easter 10:00-15:00 Sat-Sun only, closed Mon-Fri; parking-£3, Military Road/B-6318, tel. 01434/344-396, www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk, tic.oncebrewed@nnpa.org.uk).
The helpful TI in Haltwhistle, a block from the train station inside the library, has a good selection of maps and guidebooks, and schedule information for Hadrian’s Wall bus #AD122 (Easter-Oct Mon-Sat 10:00-13:00 & 13:30-16:30, closed Sun and Nov-Easter, The Library, Westgate, tel. 01434/322-002, www.hadrians-wall.org).
Hadrian’s Wall is anchored by the big cities of Newcastle to the east and Carlisle to the west. Driving is the most convenient way to see Hadrian’s Wall. If you’re coming by train, consider renting a car for the day at either Newcastle or Carlisle; otherwise, you’ll need to rely on the bus to connect the sights. If you’re just passing through for the day using public transportation, it’s challenging to stop and see more than just one or two of the sights—study the bus schedule carefully and prioritize. Non-drivers who want to see everything—or even hike part of the wall—will need to stay at least one night along the bus route.
Zip to this “best of Hadrian’s Wall” zone on the speedy A-69; when you get close, head a few miles north and follow the B-6318, which parallels the wall and passes several viewpoints, minor sights, and “severe dips.” (These road signs add a lot to a photo portrait.) Buy a good local map to help you explore this interesting area more easily and thoroughly. Official Hadrian’s Wall parking lots (including the Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre, Housesteads Roman Fort, and the trailhead at Steel Rigg) are covered by a single one-day £3 parking pass (coin-op pay-and-display machines at all lots; £10 annual pass also available).
To reach the Roman sights without a car, you’ll take the made-for-tourists Hadrian’s Wall bus #AD122 (named for the year the wall was built; daily Easter-Oct only). Essential resources for navigating the wall by public transit include the Hadrian’s Wall Country Map, the bus #AD122 schedule, and a local train timetable for Northern Line #4—all available at local visitors centers and train stations, or at www.hadrians-wall.org. If you arrive by train during the off-season (Nov-Easter), you’ll need to rely on taxis or long walks to visit the wall (see “Off-Season Options,” later).
By Bus: Bus #AD122 connects the Roman sights (and several recommended accommodations) with the following train stations, listed west to east: Carlisle, Haltwhistle, Hexham, and Newcastle (£1.15-6.70 depending on how far you go, £9 unlimited “Day Rover” ticket, buy tickets on board or at any TI, tel. 01434/322-002, www.hadrians-wall.org). Buses run most frequently between Haltwhistle and Hexham (6/day each way). However, the bus runs less frequently from the end points: from Carlisle three times a day; and from Newcastle just once a day (at 9:30—if you miss this bus, take the train to Haltwhistle and pick up the bus there).
By Train: Northern Line’s train route #4 runs parallel to and a few miles south of the wall much more frequently than the bus. While the train stops at stations in larger towns—including (west to east) Carlisle, Haltwhistle, Hexham, and Newcastle—it doesn’t take you near the actual Roman sights. But you can catch bus #AD122 at all four of these train stations (train runs daily 1-2/hour; Carlisle to Haltwhistle—30 minutes; Haltwhistle to Hexham—20 minutes; Hexham to Newcastle—40 minutes; www.northernrail.org). Note: To get to or from Newcastle on this line, you must transfer in Hexham.
By Taxi: Four Haltwhistle-based taxi companies can help you connect the dots: Melvin’s Taxi (tel. 01434/320-632, mobile 07903-760-230), Turnbull Taxi (tel. 01434/320-105, mobile 07825-004-901), Sprouls (tel. 01434/321-064, mobile 07712-321-064), or The Doors (tel. 01434/322-556, mobile 07867-668-574). It costs about £11 one-way from Haltwhistle to Housesteads Roman Fort (arrange for return pickup or have museum staff call a taxi). Note that on school days, all of these taxis are busy shuttling rural kids to class in the morning (about 8:00-10:00) and afternoon (about 15:00-16:30), so you may have to wait.
Off-Season Options: Bus #AD122 doesn’t run off-season (Nov-Easter), so you can only get as far as the train will take you (i.e., Haltwhistle)—from there, you’ll have to take a taxi (described above) to the sights. Or, if you’re a hardy hiker, take the Northern Line train to Bardon Mill, then walk about two miles to Vindolanda, and another 2.5 miles to Housesteads Roman Fort.
Luggage: It’s difficult to bring your luggage along with you. If you’re day-tripping, store your luggage in Newcastle (at the left-luggage office at the Newcastle train station, £5/bag per day, Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, Sun 9:00-20:00, platform 12) or Carlisle (across the street from the train station at Bar Solo, £2/bag per day, Mon-Wed 9:00-23:00, Thu-Sat 9:00-24:00, Sun 11:00-22:30, tel. 01228/631-600). If you must travel with luggage, Housesteads Roman Fort and Vindolanda will both let you leave your bags at the sight entrance while you’re inside, if you ask nicely. If you want to walk the wall, various baggage-courier services will send your luggage ahead to your next B&B in the region for about £5 per bag (contact Hadrian’s Haul, mobile 07967-564-823, www.hadrianshaul.com; or Walkers’, tel. 0871-423-8803, www.walkersbags.co.uk).
▲▲Hiking the Wall—It’s enjoyable to hike along the wall speaking Latin, even if only for a short stretch. Note that park rangers forbid anyone from actually walking on top of the wall, except along a very short stretch at Housesteads. On the following hikes, you’ll walk alongside the wall.
For a good, craggy, three-mile, up-and-down walk along the wall, hike between Steel Rigg and Housesteads Roman Fort. For a shorter stretch, begin at Steel Rigg (where there’s a handy parking lot) and walk a mile to Sycamore Gap, then back again (described next; the Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre hands out a free sheet outlining this walk). These hikes are moderately strenuous, and are best for those in good shape and with sturdy shoes.
To reach the trailhead for the short hike from Steel Rigg to Sycamore Gap, take the little road up from near the Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre and park in the pay-and-display parking lot on the right at the crest of the hill. Walk through the gate to the shoulder-high stretch of wall, go to the left, and follow the wall running steeply down the valley below you. Ahead of you are dramatic cliffs, creating a natural boundary made-to-order for this Roman fortification. Walk down the steep slope into the valley, then back up the other side (watch your footing on the stone stairs). Following the wall, you’ll do a similar up-and-down routine three more times, like a slow-motion human roller coaster. In the second gap is one of the best-preserved milecastles, #39 (called Castle Nick because it sits in a nick in a crag).
After walking about a mile, you’ll reach the third gap, called Sycamore Gap for the large symmetrical tree in the middle. (Do you remember the 1991 Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves? Locals certainly do—this tree was featured in it, and tourists frequently ask for directions to the “Robin Hood Tree.”) You can either hike back the way you came, or cut down toward the main road to find the less strenuous Roman Military Way path, which skirts the bottom of the ridge (rather than following the wall); this leads back to the base of the Steel Rigg hill, where you can huff back up to your car.
▲▲Housesteads Roman Fort—With its recently-revamped museum, powerful scenery, and the best-preserved segment of the wall, this is your best single stop at Hadrian’s Wall. It requires a steep hike up from the parking lot, but once there it’s just you, the bleating sheep, and memories of ancient Rome.
Cost and Hours: £6 for site and museum—pay at fort up top, not at gift shop; April-Sept daily 10:00-18:00; Oct daily 10:00-16:00; Nov-March Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mon-Fri; parking-£3, same parking ticket also good for the Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre and Steel Rigg parking lots—see here, bus #AD122 stops here, museum tel. 01434/344-363, info tel. 0870-333-1181, gift shop tel. 01434/344-525, www.english-heritage.org.uk/housesteads.
Services: At the car park are WCs, a snack bar, and a gift shop with a small exhibit of scattered artifacts. They sell a £2 guidebook about the fort or a £5 guidebook covering the entire wall. Ask nicely if you’re traveling by bus and want to leave your luggage at the gift shop (same hours as fort).
Visiting the Fort: From the gift shop, head outside and hike about a half-mile uphill to the fort. At the top of the hill, duck into the small museum (on the left) to buy your ticket before touring the site. This newly expanded but modest museum, with a model of the original fort and a few artifacts, pales in comparison to the one at Vindolanda (explained next).
Then head out to explore the sprawling ruins of the fort. Interpretive signs and illustrations explain what you’re seeing. All Roman forts were the same rectangular shape and design, containing a commander’s headquarters, barracks, and latrines (Housesteads has the best-preserved Roman toilets found anywhere—look for them at the lower-right corner). This fort even had a hospital. The fort was built right up to the wall, which runs along its upper end. (This is the one place along the wall where you’re actually allowed to get up and walk on top of it for a photo op.) Visually trace the wall to the left to see how it disappears into a bank of overgrown turf.
▲▲Vindolanda—This larger Roman fort (which actually predates the wall by 40 years) and museum are just south of the wall. Although Housesteads has better ruins and the wall, Vindolanda has the better museum, packed with actual artifacts that reveal intimate details of Roman life.
Cost and Hours: £6.25, £9.50 combo-ticket includes Roman Army Museum, guidebook-£4, daily April-Sept 10:00-18:00, mid-Feb-March and Oct 10:00-17:00, Nov-Dec 10:00-16:00, closed Jan-mid-Feb, last entry 45 minutes before closing, call first during bad weather, free parking with entry, bus #AD122 stops here, café, tel. 01434/344-277, www.vindolanda.com.
Tours: Guided tours run twice daily on weekends only (typically at 10:45 and 14:00); in high season, archaeological talks are also offered on weekdays (June-Aug Mon-Fri at 14:00). Both are included in your ticket.
Archaeological Dig: The Vindolanda site is an active dig—from Easter through September, you’ll see the excavation work in progress (usually Mon-Fri, weather permitting). Much of the work is done by volunteers, including armchair archaeologists from the US.
Visiting the Site and Museum: From the free parking lot, you’ll pay at the entrance, where there’s a model of the entire site as it was in Roman times (c. 213-276). Notice that the site had two parts: the fort itself, and the town just outside that helped to supply it.
Then you’ll head out to the site, walking through 500 yards of grassy parkland decorated by the foundation stones of the Roman fort and a full-size replica chunk of the wall. Over the course of 400 years, at least nine forts were built on this spot. The Romans, by lazily sealing the foundations from each successive fort, left modern-day archaeologists with a 20-foot-deep treasure trove of remarkably well-preserved artifacts: keys, coins, brooches, scales, pottery, glass, tools, leather shoes, bits of cloth, and even a wig. Many of these are now displayed in the museum, well-described in English, German, French, and...Latin.
At the far side of the site, pass through the pleasant riverside garden area on the way to the museum. The well-presented museum pairs actual artifacts with insightful explanations—such as a collection of Roman shoes with a description about what each one tells us about its wearer. The weapons (including arrowheads and spearheads) and fragments of armor are a reminder that Vindolanda was an important outpost on Rome’s northern boundary—look for the Scottish skull stuck on a pike to discourage rebellion. You’ll also see lots of leather; tools that were used for building and expanding the fort; locks and keys (the fort had a password that changed daily—jotting it on a Post-It note wasn’t allowed); a large coin collection; items imported here from the far corners of the vast empire (such as fragments of French pottery and amphora jugs from the Mediterranean); beauty aids such as combs, tools for applying makeup, and hairpins; and religious pillars and steles.
But the museum’s main attraction is its collection of writing tablets. A good video explains how these impressively well-preserved examples of early Roman cursive were discovered here in 1973. You’ll see some of the actual letters—written on thin pieces of wood—and can read the translations. These varied letters, about parties held, money owed, and sympathy shared, bring Romans to life in a way that ruins alone can’t. The most famous piece (described but not displayed here) is the first known example of a woman writing to a woman (an invitation to a birthday party).
Finally, you’ll pass through an exhibit about the history of the excavations on your way to the shop and cafeteria. Look for the remarkably intact quern stone (similar to a millstone) inscribed with the name Africanus.
▲▲Roman Army Museum—This museum, a few miles farther west at Greenhead (near the site of the Carvoran Roman fort), was fully renovated in 2011. Its cutting-edge, interactive exhibit illustrates the structure of the Roman Army that built and monitored this wall, with a focus on the everyday lifestyles of the Roman soldiers stationed here. Bombastic displays, life-size figures, and several different films—but few actual artifacts—make this entertaining museum a good complement to the archaeological emphasis of Vindolanda.
Cost and Hours: £5, or buy £9.50 combo-ticket that includes Vindolanda, same hours as Vindolanda except closed mid-Nov-mid-Feb, free parking with entry, bus #AD122 stops here, tel. 01697/747-485, www.vindolanda.com.
Visiting the Museum: In the first room, a video explains the complicated structure of the Roman Army—legions, cohorts, centuries, and so on. While a “legionnaire” was a Roman citizen, an “auxiliary” was a non-citizen specialist recruited for their unique skills (such as horsemen and archers). A video of an army recruiting officer delivers an “Uncle Caesar wants YOU!” speech to prospective soldiers. A timeline traces the history of the Roman Empire, especially as it related to the British Isles.
The good 20-minute Edge of Empire 3-D movie offers an evocative look at what life was like for a Roman soldier marking time on the wall, and digital models show reconstructions of the wall and forts. In the exhibit on weapons, shields, and armor (mostly replicas), you’ll learn how Roman soldiers trained with lead-filled wooden swords, so when they went into battle, their steel swords felt light by comparison. Another exhibit explains the story of Hadrian, the man behind the wall.
(£1 = about $1.60, country code: 44)
If you want to spend the night in this area, set your sights on the adjacent villages of Once Brewed and Twice Brewed, with a few accommodations options, a good pub, and easy access to the most important sights. I’ve also listed some other accommodations scattered around the region.
(area code: 01434)
These two side-by-side villages, each with a handful of houses, sit at the base of the volcanic ridge along the B-6318 road. (While the mailing address for these hamlets is “Bardon Mill,” that town is actually about 2.5 miles away, across the busy A-69 highway.) The Twice Brewed Inn, Once Brewed Youth Hostel, Vallum Lodge, and Milecastle Inn are reachable with Hadrian’s Wall bus #AD122, which stops nearby several times a day from Easter through October.
$$ Vallum Lodge is a cushy, comfortable, nicely renovated base situated near the vallum (the ditch that forms part of the fortification a half-mile from the wall itself). Its six cheery rooms are all on the ground floor, and it’s just up the road from The Twice Brewed Inn—a handy dinner option (Sb-£70, Db-£85, free Wi-Fi, lounge, Military Road, tel. 01434/344-248, www.vallum-lodge.co.uk, stay@vallum-lodge.co.uk, Clare and Michael).
$$ The Twice Brewed Inn, two miles west of Housesteads and a half-mile from the wall, rents 14 workable rooms (S-£37, D-£59, Db-£75-88, ask for a room away from the road, free Wi-Fi, free Internet access for hotel guests—otherwise £1/30 minutes, Military Road, tel. 01434/344-534, www.twicebrewedinn.co.uk, info@twicebrewedinn.co.uk). The inn’s friendly pub serves as the community gathering place (free Wi-Fi), and is a hangout for hikers and the archaeologists digging at the nearby sites. It serves real ales and large portions of good pub grub (£9-12 meals, vegetarian options, fancier restaurant in back with same menu, food served daily 12:00-20:30, Fri-Sat until 21:00).
$ Once Brewed Youth Hostel is a comfortable, institutional place near the Twice Brewed Inn and next door to the Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre (£18-22/bed with sheets in 2- to 6-bed rooms, private rooms available, non-members-£3 extra, breakfast-£5, packed lunch-£6, dinner-£10-12, reception open daily 8:00-10:00 & 16:00-22:00, must reserve ahead in Dec-Jan, guest kitchen, laundry, Military Road, tel. 01434/344-360 or 0845-371-9753, fax 01434/344-045, www.yha.org.uk, oncebrewed@yha.org.uk).
West of Once/Twice Brewed: Milecastle Inn, two miles to the west, cooks up all sorts of exotic game and offers the best dinner around, according to hungry national park rangers. You can order food at the counter and sit in the pub, or take a seat in the table-service area (£9-13 meals, food served daily 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-20:30, smart to reserve in summer, North Road, tel. 01434/321-372).
Rural and Remote, North of the Wall: $$ Gibbs Hill Farm B&B and Hostel is a friendly working sheep-and-cattle farm set on 700 acres in the stunning valley on the far side of the wall (only practical for drivers). It offers four big, airy rooms in the main house, and three six-bed dorm rooms in a restored hay barn (hostel bed/bedding-£16, Sb-£50, Db-£75, packed lunch-£5, laundry facilities, 5-minute drive from Once Brewed National Park Visitor Centre, tel. 01434/344-030, www.gibbshillfarm.co.uk, val@gibbshillfarm.co.uk, warm Val). They also rent several cottages for two to six people by the week (£280-600).
(area code: 01434)
The larger town of Haltwhistle has a train station, along with stops for Hadrian’s Wall bus #AD122 (at the train station and a few blocks east, at Market Place). It also has a helpful TI (see “Tourist Information,” on here), a launderette, several eateries, and a handful of B&Bs, including this one.
$$ Ashcroft Guest House, a large Victorian former vicarage, is 400 yards from the Haltwhistle train station and 200 yards from the Market Place bus stop. The family-run B&B has eight big, luxurious rooms, huge terraced gardens, and views from the comfy lounge (Sb-£55, Db-£85, four-poster Db-£95, ask about family deals and two-bedroom suite, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, 1.5 miles from the wall, Lanty’s Lonnen, tel. 01434/320-213, www.ashcroftguesthouse.co.uk, ashcroft.1@btconnect.com, helpful Geoff and Christine James).
(area code: 01434)
$$ High Reins offers four rooms in a stone house built by a shipping tycoon in the 1920s (Sb-£46, Db-£70, cash only, lounge, 1 mile south of train station on the western outskirts of Hexham, Leazes Lane, tel. 01434/603-590, www.highreins.co.uk, pwalton@highreins.co.uk, Jan and Peter Walton).
(area code: 01228)
$$$ Bessiestown Farm Country Guest House, located far northwest of the Hadrian sights, is convenient for drivers connecting the Lake District and Scotland. It’s a quiet and soothing stop in the middle of sheep pastures, with five bedrooms in the main house and two 2-bedroom apartments in the former stables (Sb-£59, Db-£90, Tb-£120, fancier suite-£150, discounts for 3-night stays; in Catlowdy, midway between Gretna Green and Hadrian’s Wall, a 20-minute drive north of Carlisle; tel. 01228/577-219, fax 01228/577-019, www.bessiestown.co.uk, info@bessiestown.co.uk, gracious Margaret and John Sisson).
This remote area is worthwhile only for those with a car. It’s out of the way for most itineraries—unless you’re driving between Durham and Edinburgh on the A-1 highway, in which case Holy Island and Bamburgh Castle (and Beamish Museum, described earlier) are easy stop-offs. If you’re determined to reach these sights by public transportation, you can go to Newcastle, then take bus #501 to Bamburgh Castle (2-3/day, 2.5 hours); or bus #505 to Beal (5/day Mon-Sat, none direct on Sun, 2 hours), where you can walk a level six miles or catch Perrymans bus #477 to Holy Island (Wed and Sat only, described under “Getting There,” below).
Twelve hundred years ago, this “Holy Island”—then known as Lindisfarne—was Christianity’s tenuous toehold on England. In the A.D. 680s, Holy Island was the home and original burial ground of St. Cuthbert (he’s now in Durham). We know it as the source of the magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels (A.D. 698; now in London’s British Library), decorated by monks with some of the finest art from Europe’s “Dark Ages.” By the ninth century, Viking raids forced the monks to take shelter in Durham, but they returned centuries later to re-establish a church on this holy site.
Today Holy Island—worth ▲▲—makes a pleasant stop for modern-day pilgrims: You’ll cross a causeway to a quiet town with a striking castle and the ruins of an evocative priory that was originally founded in 635.
Getting There: Holy Island is reached by a two-mile causeway that’s cut off twice a day by high tides. Safe crossing times are posted at each end of the causeway (and at www.lindisfarne.org.uk), warning drivers when this holy place becomes Holy Island—and you become stranded. Once on the island, signs direct you to a well-marked, mandatory parking lot at the entrance to town (£2.40/3 hours).
It’s also possible to reach Holy Island by bus from the nearby town of Beal, but it’s not worth the effort unless you’re a determined pilgrim (Perrymans bus #477, 2/day Wed and Sat only; if coming on the bus from Newcastle, get off at Beal to transfer to this bus—but carefully confirm schedule for the complete connection before you head out).
Getting Around Holy Island: From the parking lot, it’s an easy 10-minute walk into town and to the priory; the castle is about a 20-minute walk away. To save time, ride the convenient shuttle bus, which makes a circuit from the parking lot to the village green (next to the priory entrance), then out to the castle, and back again (£1, 3/hour, runs only when castle is open).
The two main attractions on Holy Island are the ruins of the old priory and the castle outside of town. The town itself is a charming little community of about 150 residents.
Holy Island Town—The town has B&Bs and cafés catering to tourists, a tiny post office, a fire station (with no firefighters—they’re helicoptered in when the need arises), a six-student schoolhouse, and a tiny winery offering free tastes of their Lindisfarne mead. There’s no official TI, but the Lindisfarne Centre—with a well-presented, kid-friendly history exhibit—acts as an unofficial information point and is proudly staffed by native Holy Islanders (£3 to tour the exhibit, daily April-Sept 10:00-17:00, Oct 10:00-16:00, open sporadically Nov-March, Marygate, tel. 01289/389-004, www.lindisfarne.org.uk).
Lindisfarne Priory—The priory has an evocative field of ruined church walls and a tiny but instructive museum. (A priory—run by a prior rather than an abbot—is similar to an abbey, but smaller.)
Cost and Hours: £5 ticket includes both museum and priory ruins, guidebook-£4; April-Sept daily 9:30-17:00; Oct daily 9:30-16:00; Nov-March Sat-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mon-Fri, shorter winter hours possible; tel. 01289/389-200, www.english-heritage.org.uk/lindisfarne.
Visiting the Priory: In the museum, you’ll see exhibits about Holy Island’s Anglo-Saxon culture, from stonework to manuscripts—including the famous Lindisfarne Gospels. The Gospels’ text was in Latin, the language of scholars ever since the Roman Empire, but the illustrations—with elaborate tracery and interwoven decoration—are a mix of Irish, classical, and even Byzantine forms. These Gospels are a reminder that Christianity almost didn’t make it in Europe. After the fall of Rome (which had established Christianity as the Empire’s official religion), much of Europe reverted to its pagan ways. In that chaotic era, Lindisfarne—an obscure monastery of Irish monks on a remote island—was one of the few beacons of light, tending the embers of civilization through the long night of the Dark Ages.
You can visit the adjacent church and churchyard without paying, but you need a ticket to get into the actual priory ruins. The Lindisfarne monks fled the island in A.D. 875 to escape Viking raids. They made their way to Durham, and built a cathedral to hold the tomb of St. Cuthbert (see here). Centuries later, in 1082, the monks returned to Holy Island to re-found the priory and build a fine church in a Norman (Romanesque) style similar to the one in Durham. They fended off invasions by Picts and Scots throughout the 14th century, and fortified the great church. But when Henry VIII “dissolved” (destroyed) the monasteries in the 1530s, the priory was one of his victims. The forgotten ruins were later excavated in the 1850s as an important example of early English (Anglo-Saxon) history.
As you walk through this site, you’re stepping on several layers of history: A ruined Norman church sitting on the ruins of an earlier Anglo-Saxon one (where Cuthbert served as bishop), next to the still-standing Parish Church of St. Mary’s, where Holy Islanders worship today. The priory ruins are well-explained by posted plaques and floor plans that help resurrect the rubble.
Lindisfarne Castle—Faintly visible from the priory ruins, the dramatically situated Lindisfarne Castle is enticing from afar, and makes for a fine photo op. But inside, there’s little of interest. Built in 1549—many centuries after the heyday of Cuthbert and the monks—the castle never really saw much action, and it was converted into a holiday home for an aristocratic publisher in the early 1900s. If you do visit, you’ll wander through sparsely furnished rooms and stroll out onto the upper battery—an outdoor terrace with views of the priory ruins.
Cost and Hours: £6.50; mid-March-Oct Tue-Sun 10:00-15:00 or 12:00-17:00 depending on tides—confirm times at the National Trust shop on Marygate in town before heading out, closed Mon except on Bank Holidays and in Aug; Nov-mid-March Sat-Sun 10:00-15:00 twice per month, closed Mon-Fri and every other weekend; tel. 01289/389-244, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lindisfarne.
About 10 miles south of Holy Island, this grand castle—worth ▲—dominates the Northumbrian countryside and overlooks Britain’s loveliest beach. Bamburgh (BOMB-ruh) was bought and passionately refurbished by Lord William George Armstrong, a wealthy industrialist, in the 1890s. While it’s one of England’s most dramatic castles from the outside, the interior (a 19th-century rebuild) lacks soul, barely cracking the country’s top ten. But if you’re passing by or visiting nearby Holy Island, Bamburgh may be worth a stop.
Cost and Hours: £9 includes staterooms and grounds, daily mid-Feb-Oct 10:00-17:00, winter Sat-Sun only 11:00-16:30, last entry one hour before closing, parking-£2, tel. 01668/214-515, www.bamburghcastle.com.
Touring the Castle: Bamburgh’s main attraction is its staterooms; as you explore the rest of the grounds, you’ll also have the chance to see several smaller exhibits. If arriving late in the day, go directly to the staterooms, which may close early. There’s virtually no information inside the castle, aside from a few docents; to give meaning to your visit, either rent the £1 audioguide (with two hours of commentary) or buy the £1 guidebook.
The staterooms feel lived-in because they still are—with Armstrong family portraits and aristocratic-yet-homey knickknacks hanging everywhere. You’ll enter through the medieval kitchen, with its three giant fireplaces, and work your way through smaller storage rooms to the King’s Hall, with a fantastic teak ceiling and a J. M. W. Turner painting. At the far end of the great hall is a smaller (but still-grand) alcove separated by an archway, which could be sealed off by gigantic folding doors. Continuing through the stairwell, notice the private apartment signs.
The armory once had a very different purpose—you can still see the apse of what was once a chapel. In the keep is a 145-foot-deep Anglo-Saxon well. The scullery (a medieval utility room) includes a long row of sinks and an alcove where they make fresh fudge. You’ll wind up in the gift shop; before leaving, check out the archaeology room, with exhibits about the castle’s history; and the dungeon, with cheesy mannequins being tortured.
Exploring the grounds, you enjoy fine views over the sea and beach, and get a good look at the stout 12th-century keep that’s the castle’s centerpiece. In the former stables is an art gallery displaying works by local artists. The Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum features the inventions of the family that has owned the castle through modern times. Lord William George Armstrong (1810-1900) was a pioneer in aviation and a clever innovator, creating (among other things) the first all-steel aircraft structure, a method for in-flight refueling, and the ejector seat. You’ll see several of his inventions, along with exhibits on cars, shipbuilding, and more. While the museum is fun for aviation-history buffs, it may be dull to others.
Nearby: The village of Bamburgh is pleasant enough, with tourist-oriented cafés and fine views over a manicured cricket pitch of the looming castle. Better yet, go for a walk on the beach: Crisscrossed by walking paths, rolling dunes lead to a vast sandy beach and lots of families on holiday.