The Roman Army and Hadrian’s Wall
The Roman Army, under the leadership of Julius Caesar, invaded Britain in 55BC and 54BC but retreated. Almost 100 years later, in AD43, Rome attacked Britain yet again.
The Romans consolidated their rule of Britannia in the South East. Initially the North was ignored. In AD71 Cerialis took the Ninth Legion from Lincoln to the North East while Agricola moved slowly from Chester to the North West. A sequence of forts and communication beacons were built in the North from AD90
The construction of a vast Wall together with a series of roads, forts and Mile castles began in AD122. The Wall crossed three rivers, the Tyne, Irthing and Eden. Hadrian’s Wall, as it is now known today, secured the North West Frontier of the Roman Empire for almost 300 years.
Hadrian’s Wall is visited by more than one million people each year. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site it is the largest historical monument in Britain. Nothing else approach’s the Wall’s extensive proportions; a sea wall stretching approximately 26 miles along the Cumbrian coast; a land wall stretching 73 miles from North West to North East England.
Tours look at who built the Wall, how it was built, why it was built and how it affected the native peoples who lived in its shadow. Excursions unearth the heritage of the Roman Empire, route ways, earthworks, forts and vicus (the settlements) that supported the Army.
Your tour can be organised for you by coach, minibus, in your own car or by public transport. Private visits to remarkable places not usually open to the public are possible. Gentle hikes are often included. Locations to visit include:
Hadrian’s Wall and Housesteads Fort www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hadrians-wall/
Birdoswald www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/birdoswald-roman-fort-hadrians-wall/
Vindolanda and Roman Army Museum www.vindolanda.com/
A big thank you, a great day.... excellent feedback – Brian Roberts, Wirral, UK
Other Tours
Romantic Walks in Literary Lakeland
Uncovering the 19th Century Arts and Crafts Movement
Searching the Sublime with the 18th Century Tourist
Historic Gardens of the North West
