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Hadrian’s Wall With Kids – The Roman History Part!
I’m sure you will know some of the history of Hadrian’s Wall. It was ordered to be built by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 122 CE. Spanning almost 80 miles across what is now Northumberland and Cumbria. This was a military defence as the Northern border to the Roman Empire.
It’s not actually the only roman wall built across the UK, and not even the most Northernly! The Antonine Wall in Central Scotland is the Northernmost roman wall in the UK. The Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius ordered its construction in 142 CE, built mainly out of turf and wood. Very little survives today due to its degradable materials. It was only used for 8 years before the Romans chose to relocate the Northern border back to Northern England. Many people believe that the wall and forts were only manned by Romans from Italy. However there was a complete mix of peoples of various conquered lands, all sent away to the frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Hadrian’s wall we know was constructed of stone. Although the first wall would have had turf and wood sections until they were upgraded to a stone wall. Hadrian’s wall was built to have a milecastle every Roman mile along the wall. That makes 80 different mile castles, used as watch towers and also for soldiers to live in. There are also many observation towers and 17 larger roman forts used to house the roman garrisons along the wall. Only parts of the wall are left, some stonework were removed for other walls and buildings nearby. However, what remains is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Where Is Hadrian’s Wall?
Hadrian’s Wall is located in the North of England. Although Cumbria does have some remains of the wall to look at, Northumberland has the majority of the roman wall. You can follow a walk that follows (mostly!) the original roman wall from the Solway Firth to the River Tyne. You can definitely imagine the Roman feet trudging along this path in Roman Britain.
Not all of the remaining wall is in the same condition. So if you don’t have much time then walk the best parts – such as Walltown Crags section. You also cannot walk on the wall itself for a lot of its length (to stop any damage). There are some specific sections you can walk on the wall, just make sure to follow any signs that say you can’t climb on the wall.
How To Get To Hadrian’s Wall With Kids
Getting to Hadrian’s Wall depends on which part you’re heading to! You can take the metro to places like Segedunum Roman Fort in Newcastle. Or for the Northumberland section of the wall it’s possible to take the bus to reach the main sites. Follow this link to the Hadrian’s Wall Country Bus AD122 that travels between Haltwhistle and Hexham.
It’s also easy to travel along to the sites by car using the B6318 to travel between the main sites. All sites have a good car park, some of which you may need to pay for. Cards are accepted at most, but bring cash too, just in case.
Where To Visit along Hadrian’s Wall With Kids
Northumberland
The majority of Roman sites and a significant portion of the wall are in Northumberland. You will find the remains of the forts, bath houses, milecastles and plenty of museums with archaeological remains in the local area. It’s definitely best to stay in Northumberland for a few days if you would like to explore Hadrian’s Wall with kids. We stayed in a great little glamping pod on a working farm, Sycamore Glamping Pods. It was the perfect location to visit sites along the wall and Newcastle itself.
Housesteads Roman Fort
Hadrian’s wall at Housesteads roman fort is one of the more famous in this area. During Roman times it was used as an auxiliary fort, the ruins of which can still be seen clearly. It has amazing views all around and some of the best preserved sections of the wall. If you’re visiting Hadrian’s wall with kids then you will be pleased to see that the communal toilets are preserved. Kids will love learning about how the roman soldiers would share a sponge on a stick to clean their bottoms!
The Housesteads Roman Fort, known by the romans as ‘Vercovicium’ was constructed between 122-132 CE. The Housesteads Roman Fort includes the ruin of the barracks, granaries, commanders house, hospital and communal toilets. When the Antonine wall in Scotland was abandoned the 800 Tungrians then took over the garrison at Housesteads. The site was abandoned by the Romans in the 5th century.
The museum at Housesteads Roman Fort is excellent and has plenty of information about daily life in the fort when it was part of the Roman Empire. There is also a great set of dressing up clothes that kids (young and old!) will enjoy. My 9 year old had great fun trying on the Roman outfits and putting on his meanest soldier face.
Walking The Wall From Housesteads
From Housesteads Roman Fort you can walk along various sections of the wall. We walked along to ‘Sycamore Gap’ from here and it was an easy enough walk for my 9 and 11 year olds. Although it does pass some steep cliffs, so be wary of the edge! Please be aware that the Sycamore tree no longer exists, it was cut down in 2023, although the person who did this was never caught.
Entrance to Housesteads Roman Fort is payable at the museum, English Heritage members get free entry. There is also a cafe and toilets beside the car park – beware it’s a short walk uphill to the fort.
Corbridge Roman Town
Corbridge Roman town is a little way away from Hadrian’s wall itself. However this was originally built as a military fort for legionary soldiers going to and from Hadrian’s wall. It’s a the crossroads of two major Roman roads (the Main Street heading North and south, Dere Street and Stanegate, heading East and West) and was originally known as ‘Coria’ in Latin. Over a period of 350 years the fort developed from a military supply base to a thriving Roman town.
You can explore the remains of the town, but it’s the museum that is probably most interesting. If you are visiting Hadrian’s Wall with kids then you will find plenty of child-friendly information in the museum here, along with a few activities for the children to try, such as building small figurines. Don’t miss the Corbridge hoard, which is a chest buried by a Roman that was filled with a time capsule of the soldiers life here. It includes papyrus, wax writing tablets and armour.
There is a small car park and toilets beside the visitor centre, before entering the site. It’s also owned by English Heritage, so members can enter for free.
Chesters Roman Fort and Museum
Originally Hadrian’s wall was never meant to have forts on the wall Itself. Instead they were built back from the wall. This decision was changed after part of the wall was already built and the recently built watchtower knocked down. This allowed Chesters Roman Fort to be built straddling Hadrian’s Wall and housing around 500 cavalry men. The site as occupied from it’s construction until the early 5th century when the Romans left Britain.
The Romans named this fort Cilurnum and it’s one of the best preserved roman forts along Hadrian’s wall. For those visiting Hadrian’s wall with kids, you’ll enjoy seeing the well preserved steam baths and commanders quarters. The museum is also excellent and has plenty of finds from both Chesters Roman Fort and elsewhere along the wall.
The site is now owned by English Heritage and you can enter for free with a membership card or Historic Scotland card members (aside 1st year members) can also get in free.
Roman Vindolanda
The site of Roman Vindolanda is actually series of 9 forts that were built and rebuilt over the years. The first fort pre-dates Hadrians Wall, but was still used as imitate garrison, most likely when the occupying Roman legions first arrived. It is one of the larger forts in the area and is just South of the original wall line. Vindolanda later developed into a bustling Roman town where Romans lived with their families. There is plenty of evidence of children living here, which makes it particularly interesting to our kids.
The site is large and is still undergoing excavation, you can watch archaeology in action and visit the amazing museum and reconstructed Roman buildings. The whole family will love exploring this site and the fantastic museum attached, which has films about the site and plenty of interesting things for the children.
Don’t miss the Vindolanda tablets, which are Roman handwritten tablets made from thin postcard sized birch bark. The tablets contain everything from supply orders to a birthday invitation in the year 100! Definitely fascinating and a true hit when you’re visiting Hadrian’s wall with kids. Vindolanda is privately owned and booking can be completed online or at the site.
The Roman Army Museum
The Roman Army museum is owned by the Vindolanda Trust, although it’s nowhere near Vindolanda! Instead it’s toward the Western side of the wall near Haltwhistle. It’s just on the left before you get to Walltown Quarry car park, which is the location of one of the most picturesque parts of Hadrian’s wall. This makes it a great day out with the Roman Army Museum and Hadrian’s wall with kids.
The Roman Army Museum with kids is a great stop to learn more about Roman history in a fun and interactive way. It’s a great way to explore the 3 galleries, learning about the Roman Empire through full scale replicas and interactive displays. Watch an amazing film that takes you through the wall and what it requires to climb the ranks, all through the eyes of a soldier. Then visit the Roman classroom to be taught by a hologram!
The site is run by the Vindolanda Trust and you can buy tickets from here.
The Sill – The UK’s National Landscape Discovery Centre
Although the Sill is not technically about Hadrian’s wall, it is on the same road as Vindolanda and just South of the wall. It’s a great place to discover the landscapes of the Northumberland national park. There are always excellent exhibitions, with a permanent landscape exhibition with interactive displays and hands on activities, perfect for kids. The other exhibitions change throughout the year, we discovered an awesome art exhibtion and dress up area when we last visited. There are often workshops on at weekends or during the school holidays, so it’s worth checking the website in advance.
Walks Along Hadrian’s Wall With Kids
There is the well signposted and walked Hadrian’s wall path National trail that can be explored. However, this is a bit long for a short trip with the kids, at 84 miles it’s best to visit just 2-3 sections of the best parts of the wall.
Steel Rigg car park, accessed off the road just North of the Twice Brewed Inn, is the best parking spot to get to the famous Sycamore Gap. Although Sycamore Gap, made famous by the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner, no longer has a Sycamore tree. The Sycamore tree was cut down by an unknown person in 2023, giving quite an uproar amongst fans of the film and this beautiful spot. It is hoped that the stump from the 150 year old tree may still grow some new shoots, allowing it to survive, even if not the same shape as before. It’s a short walk from Steel Rigg car park to Sycamore gap. Alternatively you can walk from Housesteads fort in the East.
Another good section to walk is from Walltown Crags Quarry car park, then walk up the path to visit this impressive section of wall. The wall as been rebuilt in sections to be a good height, with various mile castle ruins along the route. It’s a steep uphill from the car park, but levels off along the section of wall itself. This can be completed in conjunction with a visit to the Roman Army Museum, when visiting Hadrian’s wall with kids.
Newcastle Upon Tyne
When you visit Hadrian’s wall with kids, but don’t have the time to trek all the way into Northumberland National Park, you can visit some parts in Newcastle. These sections aren’t well preserved walls, but the forts that were excavated. I highly recommend travelling into the countryside for the more beautiful parts, but these are great if you are stuck in the city!
Segedunum Roman Fort
It’s Segedunum Roman Fort where Hadrian’s wall started and ended. It’s located at the aptly named Wallend in Newcastle. There is only a short walk to Segedunum roman fort from Wallsend metro station. So easily accessed from central Newcastle.
The fort itself was constructed in 127 CE when the original wall was extended East by 4 miles to protect the river crossing at Pons Aelius. Although the site wasn’t fully excavated until the terraces houses from the local pit villages were demolished, it is now one of the most extensively excavated sites along Hadrian’s wall. There is also evidence of an extensive village around the roman fort, both on the north side of the wall and south.
Kids will love going up the 35m tall observation tower to look down at the site. There is also a reconstructed bath house in the museum which is fun to explore.
Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort
A bit further East on the other side of the River Tyne is Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort. This was a key garrison and military supply base for Hadrian’s wall. It was also the Roman Emperor’s Headquarters for the Scottish invasion and a bustling port town.
Kids will love stepping back in time via the fully reconstructed buildings, including the West Gate, soldiers barrack block and commanding officers house. There are also amazing finds inside the museum itself, one of the best places to visit on a day out in Newcastle!
Cumbria
Cumbria is where the Western end of the wall starts and ends. Although there appears to be less Roman archaeology found in this area compared to its neighbouring county of Northumberland. It’s still worth visiting the sites below, if you’re in the area.
Birdoswald Roman Fort
At Birdoswald Roman Fort you will find evidence of the earliest Hadrian’s wall made from turf, along with many carved symbols by the Dacian’s who were one of the military units Brough in to guard the wall from modern day Romania. It’s also the perfect place to walk along remans of the stone built Hadrian’s wall today.
You can also learn about what happened to the people in the area when the Romans finally left in the 5th century. This site is one of the best for evidence of how lives carried on when the Romans left Britain and Hadrian’s Wall.
There’s a great hands-on activity area for children, plus a shop and cafe at the visitor centre.
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery
Located in Carlisle is Tullie house museum and art gallery. Although the museum houses many other exhibitions there is a fantastic permanent exhibit’s on called the Roman Frontier Gallery. This exhibition includes significant collections of Roman artefacts, including some on loan from the British Museum. You can find plenty of interactive displays that will interest kids and adults alike.