Hadrian's Wall, Roman Britain and the Scottish Borders
- Overview
Travel through 2,000 years of history as you visit ancient Roman sites such as Hadrian’s Wall, Dere Street, Birdoswald Fort, Steel Rigg and historic villages along the border of Scotland and England. You'll drive through stunning scenery in Northumberland National Park, the Irthing Valley and the Southern Uplands and learn about the Anglo-Scottish wars of the 14th–16th centuries. Your professional guide will illuminate the fascinating history of Roman Britain and the Scottish Borders on this small-group (limited to 16 people) day tour from Edinburgh.
YouÂ’ll meet your small-group in central Edinburgh and travel by comfortable minicoach along Dere Street, a Roman road that linked ports in southern England to Roman settlements in central Scotland. After an hour-long drive youÂ’ll reach your first destination, the historic town of Jedburgh, where youÂ’ll walk through narrow streets, passing the 12th-century Jedburgh Abbey, an Augustinian abbey.
Next, youÂ’ll drive to Carter Bar, the crossing point between Scotland and England. Snap photos on the border, and then continue through the magnificent landscape of Northumberland National Park to Steel Rigg, where you can see large sections of HadrianÂ’s Wall. Built in the 2nd-century AD during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, the Wall is the greatest monument of Roman Britain and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walk along the wall where Roman soldiers guarded their empire's border millennia ago.
Next youÂ’ll drive west to Lanercost village, the western gateway to HadrianÂ’s Wall, and the location of many battles in the centuries-long Anglo-Scottish wars. YouÂ’ll stop for lunch in a local restaurant (own expense) and enjoy the atmosphere of the charming village.
After lunch, youÂ’ll drive to nearby Birdoswald, which is one of the best-preserved forts of the 16 that were built along HadrianÂ’s Wall and the longest continuous remaining stretch of the wall. YouÂ’ll explore the extensive remains as your guide explains the features of the ancient Roman fortifications, including some recent excavations.
When you have taken in the sights at Birdoswald, youÂ’ll re-board your minicoach and start the journey back to Edinburgh, with a stop in the Victorian spa town Moffat, before crossing through the Southern Uplands and Scottish Borders to return to Edinburgh.