Hopefully someone can help

A friend is visiting the UK from Australia in October and will be staying in Carlisle and wants to see Hadrian's wall. Sadly they tell me the AD122 bus doesn't run in October and they don't drive. Anyone in the area know of any other way of getting to the wall that time of year?

Cheers in advance

Its actually December there coming... The mad fools

Train to Haltwhistle then taxi up to the Wall and fort (the well known one, but name escapes). Vindolanda, couple of miles south of the fort is well worth a visit as well. Could well be worth staying a night in Haltwhistle.

Try the Youth Hostel at (Once or Twice, can never remember) Brewed, just south of Housesteads) they often will pick up from the station if you stay with them.

Quote from: Leman on 24 May 2016, 06:46:08 AM
Train to Haltwhistle then taxi up to the Wall and fort (the well known one, but name escapes). Vindolanda, couple of miles south of the fort is well worth a visit as well. Could well be worth staying a night in Haltwhistle.

You mean Housteads, at a guess Leman.

Vindolanda, Housteads and the adjacent milecastle, The Roman Army Museum, Chesters Fort and Corstopitum were our staples in days gone by. We needed somewhere for our boys to expend some energy on our way to and from Guisborough to see my sister and her family.

Housesteads in December? Good luck to them, there! Once Brewed is (was) the Youth Hostel - stayed there about 45 years ago - will be closed until 2017. Twice Brewed is the nearby inn. Would be great if any local forum members could be free to volunteer their services for half a day. Shame for your friends to come all this way and miss out. But if they do, we ain't exactly short of heritage in this country and if they don't drive, there's loads of other places to visit instead.

Another thought - could try contacting Northumberland Tourist Board (again?) to see if they have any contacts themselves / further suggestions? E.g., might be someone local who could help out? Maybe even the hotel they are staying at?

Thanks guys

Yes, it was Housesteads. Been there many times, but just could not get the name out of its storage compartment. I still rate Haltwhistle as a good base as it has a couple of good pubs and some decent B&Bs, as well as being on the Carlisle-Newcastle railway.

I could possibly help out, I live about 60 miles from Carlisle but regularly go up to the wall for a day and could possibly show Fenton's friends the best bits.  The lack of the  AD122 bus might hamper things as it's nice to leave the car, walk some of the more spectacular bits and get the bus back to the car but some things could still be easily done. 

The visiting Aussies should be made aware of the weather conditions, it WILL be cold, it WILL be windy and it will ALMOST CERTAINLY be RAINING.

I think I've seen a letter in the Vindolanda collection which accompanied a set of warm socks etc. sent from soldiers mum to her son because she'd heard the wall was a terrible place to be sent; nothing's changed in the past 1900 years.

PM me if you're interested.

Many thanks Dan will pm you when I have talked to my friends

Got to love this forum

Seconded.....it was great to meet up with Leon and Ithorel when I was in the UK last year 

Sadly I no longer live in Haltwhistle or I could have helped out.

Forget Housesteads.

Vindolanda is so much better.

However getting near the wall in December?  Tell him to bring snow shoes.  Even the snowcats get stuck up here.  


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7867979.stm