Hadrian’s Wall
One of the most famous landmarks of Roman Britain, Hadrian’s Wall is just a short drive away from Newcastle upon Tyne. It 
stretches from coast to coast, covering a distance of 80 Roman miles (117.5km / 73m) and featuring numerous mile castles in varying states of preservation. The tour will take participants to walk along one of the best-preserved stretches of the Wall and visit the remains of the famous Housesteads fort.
Leaving the Hilton Hotel at 08.00, the tour will first drive up to Steel Rigg, which offers iconic views of the Wall and the oft-filmed “Sycamore Gap”. This will involve a gentle but rewarding walk of around 40 minutes to an hour. At around 10.00, the tour will move on to Housesteads Roman Fort, which is set high on a dramatic escarpment of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Site. It again affords some stunning panoramic views of the Wall and the surrounding 
countryside. The near-complete foundations allow visitors to see exactly what a Roman Wall fort looked like and find out more about life on the Wall as a Roman soldier or citizen. When wandering around the site, it is easy to imagine how life was for the 800 Roman soldiers stationed there. Among the barrack blocks, kitchen and commandant’s house is also one of the oldest toilets in the UK. The museum provides succinct, fascinating insights into daily life on the Wall and features a model of how the fort looked in Roman times.
After approximately one and a half hour’s visiting time, the coach will leave Housesteads at 12.00 to arrive back at the Hilton hotel for 13.00.
Total cost: £25.00 (includes entry to Housesteads).
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Northumbrian Castles Tour
Leaving the Hilton Hotel at 08.00, this Blue Badge guided tour will follow the historic Northumbrian Castles route, which takes in some of the coastline before passing through Amble, Warkworth and Alnmouth, then heading into Alnwick. The tour will halt briefly in each of these places to allow our exclusively booked Blue Badge Guide to tell us about them.
Amble features a lovely stretch of open, sandy beach and a 
Sundaymarket. In the market square is the Amble Sundial, which is accurate to within 15 seconds and is one of the largest sundials in
Europe.
Warkworth Castle was once home to the powerful Percy family, who now 
reside in Alnwick Castle. It was and remains one of the largest and most impressive fortresses in North East England and has played a key role in helping to control the border with Scotland.
Alnmouth was a grain port until a storm in 1806 stranded itsharbour and cut the village off from the sea. It isnow one of Northumberland’s prettiest villages, with gaily painted houses Warkworth Castle strung along the north bank of the River Aln.
After leaving Alnmouth, the tour will arrive in Alnwick at around 10.30. This will give participants time to visit Alnwick Castle and Garden, look around the picturesque market place or visit Barter Books, one of England’s largest second hand bookshops in the old station.
Alnwick Castle is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country and combines magnificent medieval architecture with sumptuous 
Italianate State Rooms, making it one of the UK’s most significant heritage destinations. The visit will be a rare treat for fans of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.
Alnwick Garden, with its water features, ornamental garden and poison garden, in which poisonous and intoxicating plants are grown, is a favourite tourist destination and one of the north-east’s must-see attractions. Alternatively, Barter Books is a ram
bling, quirky second-hand bookshop with open fires, armchairs, model trains and a simple café for refreshments.
After approximately one and a half hour’s visiting time, the coach will leave Alnwick at 12.00 to arrive back at the Hilton hotel for 13.00.
Total cost: £25.00
Entry to Alnwick Castle is an extra £14.50. Entry to Alnwick Gardens only is an extra £7.70
Entry to Barter Books is free, but no responsibility is held for how much participants spend inside.
COACH SIZES NEED TO BE CONFIRMED BY 13 MARCH SO BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
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Discover Newcastle
There will also be an informal visit of Newcastle guided by local friends and colleagues, free of charge.
In case you need some more people to help out with Sunday informal visits of Newcastle I might be able to help.