Roadschool Trip to Hadrian's Wall

Haltwhistle is located in the geographic center of Britain, and is the closest town to some of the most popular attractions on Hadrian's Wall in the Northumberland National Park. If you love to hike, or history, or both, you'll love this countryside with its sweeping moors and wooded areas. Getting here is fairly easy by train. The historic railway is still in use today Newcastle and Carlisle, on the eastern and western borders.

Built under the orders of Roman Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD, Hadrian's Wall is the most significant pile of stones in the United Kingdom. Spanning 73 miles of northern England, Northumberland holds the longest stretch of it and it rises and plunges across some of the county's most staggering landscapes.

Hadrian's Wall was one of the largest architectural projects of the ancient world. Various Roman forts scattered along the wall take you back to the Roman Empire, including excavation sites, ancient temples, and bathhouses that sit before a backdrop of beautiful landscapes.

Why was an empire based in Italy interested in controlling a region as far north as Britain? Simply put, Rome's leaders wanted the natural resources found in the area. With the various Celtic kingdoms in Britain constantly warring and shifting alliances, Rome was able to take advantage of the instability to establish a new Roman province — in the area we now know as England and Wales.

Following abuse by Roman officials, Queen Boudicca of the local Iceni people raised an army and attacked Roman London in the 60s AD. When the Roman emperor Hadrian toured Britannia sixty years later, he ordered the construction of the wall that would bear his name. The wall's location and design discouraged invasions of Britannia from the north, while allowing the Roman army to monitor the circulation of traders and travelers.

Learn more about the Roman empire with these unit studies:

• Heroes of Olympus & Roman Mythology
• We Were There with Ceasar's Legions

Pick up activities and worksheets to augment your real or virtual trip in the unit study bundle below!

Explore the art, history, geography, food, and culture of England in this cross-curricular unit study….perfect for families getting ready to travel abroad or folks who want to travel via unit studies!  Each stop along the roadschooling trip covers a different facet of history and culture with unit information, resources, worksheets, activities, and more...  

YES!  I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!

Table of Contents:

• o Introduction & Geography of England
• o Portsmouth
  • o The Mary Rose & naval archaeology
• o London
  • o The British Museum & archaeology
  • o The Wallace Collection & medieval history
  • o The Tower of London / London Bridge & the Tudors
  • o Buckingham Palace & royalty
  • o Victoria and Albert Museum & medieval art
  • o Thames / Globe Theater & Shakespeare
  • o Sherlock Holmes Museum & British Literature
  • o Abbey Road & British Invasion
• o Leeds
  • o Royal Armouries & middle ages
• o York
  • o Jorvik & Vikings
  • o York Castle & archaeology
• o Haltwhistle
  • o Hadrian’s Wall & ancient Celts
  • o Vindolanda & archaeology
• o Alnwick
  • o Alnwick Castle & architecture
  • o Poison Garden & herbs
  • o Barter Books & WW2 history
• o Alnmouth
  • o North Sea & train history
• o Newcastle o Segedunum & ancient Romans
• o Tips & Tricks for Travelling in England