Birdoswald Roman Fort

Came for a roman exhibition and battle display, it was very good, they had working catapults etc and put on a fighting display.

One of the main stops on our UK trip was the fact that we wanted to see Hadrian’s wall up close. Tons of movies and history books reference it, so why not? Seems pretty cool!
Once we plugged in the GPS coordinates, we were on our way to what seems like the middle of nowhere. Of course, I blame most of our time wasted driving on the GPS. Instead of TomTom, we called it BitchBitch. It couldn’t recalculate itself out of a wet paper bag. But I digress.
You would think this «wall» would be everywhere considering its importance and history. I assume over the years though, that local farmers built their property fences from pieces of the wall as we noticed many fine rock fences along the way, yet, none were Hadrian’s wall.
We finally found the Birdoswald Roman Fort location and were excited as we trekked up the hill to the first piece of Hadrian’s wall nestled next to the Roman Fort. The Fort by the way… is a recreation. Something I’ll go on about in a minute.
The area is tranquil, vast, and the weather was brilliant. You could climb to the top of what is the remaining wall and walk for what seemed 100’s of yard. It’s tricky due to the fact that this folks, is a ruin of Hadrian’s wall. To imagine the grandeur of size and how long it might have taken to build is just mesmerizing. The wall in this site is less than half of its original build height but still amazing to look at and envision the surrounding areas and wonder, how the heck did they get all of these rocks? WHERE did they get all of these rocks? I mean think about it, this wall spanned the entire north of the UK at one time! This is what kept the bad people out of England! Saxons and the like!
On to the Fort. A nice recreation with some of the original Fort wall footings to look at. Nothing spectacular.
One suggestion.
When you go into the store for trinkets, DO buy the English Heritage pass. This tourist pass will get you into MANY MANY MANY different sites throughout the UK including Barnard Castle, Stonehenge, Salisbury Castle (already free but donations are accepted), Raglan Castle. The list goes on and on. It’s well-​worth the 40-​pounds for a family and saves you money in the long run.

I’m afraid that I was really disappointed by my visit to Birdoswald. Maybe it was because I’d recently visited Housesteads, Vindolanda and Chesters Roman Fort and I’d been spoiled but basically I don’t think Birdoswald offers value for money. As an English Heritage member I got in ‘free’ but for non-​members it is £5.20 for an adult, £4.70 for a Concession and £3.10 for a child. Parking at the bottom of the hill will also set you back £3 (refundable for English Heritage members). On entry there is a small visitor centre with information about the history of the site and beyond that lie the remains of the Roman Fort. When we visited only one of the display boards in the main outside area had any information on them although they were clearly meant to have. I appreciate that these sites are not ‘Disney’ and can only present what is there for them to present but I genuinely believe that Birdoswald is very over-​priced. I would be seriously unhappy if I was a parent who had paid for a family to visit here. Halve the admission prices and they would be getting somewhere close to getting it right but as it stands I can’t recommend it.

A low, late morning sun through bleak winter trees covered in moss and frost… a quintessential English countryside view… and unbelievably beautiful.
We happened upon Hadrian’s Wall by accident on a freezing Saturday morning, having seen the brown tourists signs to a desination that has been on my «bucket list» since I was about 13 and learned about it in school on the other side of the world.
How magical to just happen upon it one morning, quite by mistake!
The Roman Fort in Birdoswald was practically empty — but we were still greeted with smiles and banter and the good news that Scottish Heritage cards mean free entry to the Fort. Excellent — that entrance fee will go on coffee & cake after a wee explore!
The exhibition itself is well laid-​out and with enough mixed media to keep even bored people interested, although I always wonder about the artists who make the replica food for these installations — I don’t think Hiroshi Nagashima will be handing out any stars!
That being said, the information is excellent and the museum is a good yet relatively brief introduction to the Wall and the history of this particular area of it; I do recommend buying the small booklet on the history of the Wall — especially when entry is free.
Walking around the grounds, there are further boards and the frosty morning really was the most amazing time to see it — the Wall itself is an incredible feat; the tramworks people in Edinburgh could learn a lot, considering the Wall spans the width of the entire country and was completed in 7 years — and is still in pretty good condition hundreds of years later!
The wee café is clean, functional and not uncomfortable. More importantly, the coffee is good and the malteser slice we decided to share was good enough to make us wonder if sharing wasn’t the way to go!
We will definitely come back and do some walking along the wall when we have appropriate shoes — for now, it was just a thrill to touch it, to see it, to have a magical morning become even more so with the reminder of amazing things it’s possible to simply stumble upon.

A good stopping point on the Hadrians Wall Path.
Good views from the wall, you can get a hot drink and refreshments take a toilet break. Weather permitting you can sit at a picnic table in pleasant surroundings. If you are lucky you may see some Roman soldiers!

A Roman fort, turret and milecastle can all be seen on this excellent stretch of what was once Hadrian’s Wall.
With probably the best-​preserved defences of any Wall fort, this was an important base for some 1,000 Roman soldiers. The section of Wall to the east, also of stone replacing turf, is the longest continuous stretch visible today.
Archaeological discoveries have revealed a great deal about Roman military life at Birdoswald. Three of the four main gateways of the fort have been unearthed, as have the outside walls, two granary buildings, workshops and a unique drill hall.
The Birdoswald Visitor Centre provides a good introduction to Hadrian’s Wall, and tells the intriguing story of Birdoswald and the people who have lived here over the past 2,000 years. There is also a tearoom, and a well-​stocked shop for souvenirs.