Hadrians Wall

[Mrs Trackside]

Trackside and myself are planning on spending a few days travelling along the wall (by car. Yes we know we can't drive along the wall in the car!) in September.

Can anyone recommend:

1. Things we shouldn't miss
2. Cheap places to stay
3. Good driving roads
4. Things to avoid

We're on quite a tight budget and it will be my birthday, so anything romantic (so I can drop hints and make him think it's his idea ) would be really appreciated.

[Jewhoo]

Mrs Trackside said:

Trackside and myself are planning on spending a few days travelling along the wall (by car. Yes we know we can't drive along the wall in the car!) in September.

Can anyone recommend:

1. Things we shouldn't miss
2. Cheap places to stay
3. Good driving roads
4. Things to avoid

We're on quite a tight budget and it will be my birthday, so anything romantic (so I can drop hints and make him think it's his idea ) would be really appreciated.

The B6318 Military Road runs along Hadrians Wall for miles and miles, get onto it by exiting the A69 at Heddon-on-the-Wall. Brilliant Road. Stop off for some food at the Robin Hood Inn which I think is at East Wallhouses, anyway, it's 1/2 a mile or so before the B6321 turn off for Corbridge and the food is excellent. You might like to pop down into corbridge to have a look around as it's a historic market town and has Corstopitum which (again IIRC) has some of the best preserved Roman Fort ruins around - something to do with the granary foundations i think. It's on what multimap calls Corchester Lane, known locally as the Beaufront Road.

From Corbridge take the Beaufront Road along to Hexham (it's another brilliant road, though only a few miles long). Get back onto the A69 westbound and take the first exit on the right (the A6079) to take you through Acomb and Wall until you meet the B6318 again and carry on Westward!

[minimoog]

It probably takes an hour and a half at most to drive along the picturesque bit of the wall, i.e. between the A1 and Carlisle, so that gives you plenty of time to do a few of the Roman sites along the way (Housesteads being the obvious one) and also to dive into a good bit of Northumberland too. Arguably the classic driving road hereabouts is the A686 between Haydon Bridge and Hartside Pass towards Penrith. Pretty much every country road in Northumberland and upper Weardale is good though - I like the A6341 between Elsdon and Rothbury f'rinstance. A good day's hoonage/amblage could maybe take you from Chollerford up to Kielder, on over the border and back down through Newcastleton towards Bewcastle and pick up the wall again (maybe do Birdoswald fort) to head back west and close the loop. Maybe also go up to do Cragside house at Rothbury and/or Alnwick castle. Have you go time to hit the coast? Bamburgh, Holy Island, Dunstanburgh and the Farnes are well worth a look. Just remember it all goes to shit when you enter the People's Republic of South East Northumberland south of Druridge Bay

Dunno about digs (the Once Brewed youth hostel might be cheap but kicked me out for smoking weed many years ago, the bastards ) and I'd be keen to hear about good cheap places to eat myself - not that easy to come by in my experience. Anybody?

Edited by minimoog on Monday 30th July 18:38

[minimoog]

Jewhoo said:

Stop off for some food at the Robin Hood Inn

Is that right? I've eaten there a couple of times and while the pub is nice enough the food hasn't been up to much. haven't been for a year or two though.

Actually Vallum farm shop half a mile west of the Robin Hood does good tea and cakes (I sound like my mother), and another few yards on gives you the turning to the Matfen High House Farm brewery where you can sample some cracking ales

Edited by minimoog on Monday 30th July 18:37

[Cabinet Enforcer]

minimoog said:

Jewhoo said:

Stop off for some food at the Robin Hood Inn

Is that right? I've eaten there a couple of times and while the pub is nice enough the food hasn't been up to much. haven't been for a year or two though.

Actually Vallum farm shop half a mile west of the Robin Hood does good tea and cakes (I sound like my mother), and another few yards on gives you the turning to the Matfen High House Farm brewery where you can sample some cracking ales

Robin Hood has been quite good the times i've been
Another vote for Vallum (tea and cakes )

I think a walk from housesteads fort along the crags past sycamore gap to twice brewed would be nice provided the weather was good, probably the most photogenic part of the wall.

Edited by Cabinet Enforcer on Monday 30th July 20:58

[Mrs Trackside]

That's absolutely fabulous folks. Thanks very much!

We will be doing some walking, so we'll probably have tea (or coffee in my case, I don't like tea) and cakes at Vallum and then have something to eat later at The Robin Hood Inn (I shall report back on my findings)

[Mrs Trackside]

minimoog said:

Have you go time to hit the coast? Bamburgh, Holy Island, Dunstanburgh and the Farnes are well worth a look.

Yes, I'd like to spend our last day at the sea (or I don't feel like I've been on holiday)

[Jewhoo]

Mrs Trackside said:

minimoog said:

Have you go time to hit the coast? Bamburgh, Holy Island, Dunstanburgh and the Farnes are well worth a look.

Yes, I'd like to spend our last day at the sea (or I don't feel like I've been on holiday)

Bamburgh Castle is a nice place to go, the beach is brilliant too.

[AlRaven]

You can't beat Bamburgh but there's a great walk from Craster along to Dunstanburgh Castle and then on to the Ship at Low Newton, lot quieter than Bamburgh. Alnmouth is nice as well but can get busy as not that big.

[Mrs Trackside]

What areas would you suggest staying in? We're looking around Hexham at the moment coz it's more or less central to the wall. I've found some really lovely (and cheaper) places around Bamburgh, but Gary says they're quite a long way from the "places to visit".

I don't know now, I'm so confused. I hate planning holidays...

[Hexhamhc]

We have a nice pub/hotel in our village, The Battlesteads Hotel, Wark. We are about 12 miles from Hexham, 5 miles from Hadrians wall, 17 miles from Keilder and 90 minutes from the Northumberland coast. Not sure what the prices are like but the food's pretty good! Have a good break.
Best regards, Tony

[minimoog]

Mrs Trackside said:

What areas would you suggest staying in?

Pretty much anywhere north of the A69 and west of the A1 (and east of it once over the River Coquet) up to and across the border should be pleasant. Personally I'd look in Corbridge rather than Hexham if you want a town base near the wall. Hexham is OK (once you get away from the hyowge chipboard factory the planners have recently blessed us with ) if you want a biggish sort of market town, Corbridge is smaller and cosier. Wark sounds like a good call for a village. Alternatively maybe somewhere like Matfen or Stamfordham or the villages around there? Make sure wherever it is has at least one pub though, obviously

[dpr59]

Jewhoo said:

The B6318 Military Road runs along Hadrians Wall for miles and miles, get onto it by exiting the A69 at Heddon-on-the-Wall. Brilliant Road.

Spot on advice, did this run in a Lotus Excel earler in ther year.
Lovely road to drive.

If you fancy a nice lunch, dont miss Langley Castle.

[Jewhoo]

minimoog said:

Mrs Trackside said:

What areas would you suggest staying in?

Pretty much anywhere north of the A69 and west of the A1 (and east of it once over the River Coquet) up to and across the border should be pleasant. Personally I'd look in Corbridge rather than Hexham if you want a town base near the wall. Hexham is OK (once you get away from the hyowge chipboard factory the planners have recently blessed us with ) if you want a biggish sort of market town, Corbridge is smaller and cosier. Wark sounds like a good call for a village. Alternatively maybe somewhere like Matfen or Stamfordham or the villages around there? Make sure wherever it is has at least one pub though, obviously

There's a line of B&Bs down by the train station in Corbridge (probably station road!), there's also the Dyvels Hotel down there which is a very nice pub. It used to be an awesome pub then the previous owners screwed it up, now it's back to its best. Dunno if they still do B&B though.

[Mrs Trackside]

I've just booked a place in Haltwhistle. There don't seem to be many places available for the week we want, so choice has been limited

[minimoog]

Mrs Trackside said:

I've just booked a place in Haltwhistle.

'Romantic' and 'Haltwhistle' don't often appear together to be honest - not the town itself anyway (remembers his 'pretty much anywhere will be pleasant' statement and cringes). Still in a picturesque part of the world though, so if it's a B&B in a farm or village nearby or somesuch it'll be fine.

Have you gone through these places?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g186351-c2-Hexha...

And looked here?

http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/115.html

Edited by minimoog on Sunday 5th August 07:56

[Mrs Trackside]

Is it a bit of a sh!thole then? We've booked a self catering place on a farm just outside Haltwhistle. I'm sure it will be fine as we'll only really be using the place to sleep - we'll be out and about during the day and eating out in the evenings.

[Jewhoo]

Mrs Trackside said:

Is it a bit of a sh!thole then? We've booked a self catering place on a farm just outside Haltwhistle. I'm sure it will be fine as we'll only really be using the place to sleep - we'll be out and about during the day and eating out in the evenings.

'Altweestle, eh? Try and avoid the locals, eh. They like a barny with their brothers and sisters and wifes and uncles, who are all the same people, eh. And they say eh at the end of every sentence, eh.

If you're outside the village you'll be fine though.

[Mrs Trackside]

We're back home. Haltwhistle was lovely and everyone was so nice and there was so much to do and see and I've eaten so much lovely food.

The highlight of the week was Corbridge and I was disappointed by Bamburgh, quite frankly it was a bit rubbish. And Vindolanda needs some information to tell you what the buildings are all about.

You people certainly live in a beautiful part of the world. We're knackered now!

[ray_von]

Mrs Trackside said:

I was disappointed by Bamburgh, quite frankly it was a bit rubbish

Excellent, tell all your friends that. We'll keep the rubbish for ourselves