derwall


DESTINATIONS UK | FAMILY HOLIDAYS


As a year-long programme of events kicks off to mark


1,900 years of Hadrian’s Wall, Cathy Toogood takes her kids on an awe-inspiring Northumberland adventure


t travelweekly.co.uk


he only threat we can currently see from the watchtower at Housesteads Roman Fort in Northumberland is the odd sheep,


accompanied by an energetic lamb. Nonetheless, my eight-year-old daughter, May, and five-year-old son, Zac, are keeping a keen lookout down the hillside. This slope next to the fort’s south gate was once the site of a vicus (civilian settlement). Now, remains of its buildings can be seen before an expanse of undulating emerald fields, punctuated by patches of fir trees, and with views of the Northumberland countryside for miles around. While exploring the well-preserved Roman ruins at Housesteads, we see remains of barracks, a hospital, gates and even Roman toilets (clearly the best bit, from the kids’ perspective). The site prompts my children’s minds to run wild with visions of the


800 soldiers who once lived here, putting them in full Roman character, imagining life at the northernmost point of the Roman province of Britannia.


PICTURE THIS We march out of the northwest side of Housesteads down a section of Hadrian’s Wall to begin a two-mile walk towards Sycamore Gap. This spot, where a tree sits perfectly framed in a dip, was made famous by its appearance in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It’s now one of the most photographed trees in England. I wonder what Emperor Hadrian would have thought of all the Instagram posts featuring this spot next to his wall. The construction of this Unesco World Heritage Site started on Hadrian’s orders 1,900 years ago and to celebrate the anniversary in 2022, there’s a programme of events and activities in


² 26 MAY 2022 33


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