Hadrian's Wall tour from Edinburgh: Roman sites & Borders
Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda, and two countries in one day
This day tour from Edinburgh travels south through Northumberland to Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda Roman Army Museum and historic border villages, with entrance fees included and a professional guide. The group stays small (maximum 16 passengers), and you'll walk beside the wall at Steel Rigg and tour the museum's Roman artifacts and writing tablets. The tour runs 10.5 hours and departs from Edinburgh Bus Station.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Hadrian's Wall and Borders
- Visit Jedburgh market town
- Optional visit to Jedburgh Abbey
- Stop at Carter Bar border crossing
- Walk along Hadrian’s Wall at Steel Rigg
- Tour Vindolanda Roman Army Museum
- Break in Victorian spa town of Moffat
- Return to Edinburgh via Pentland Hills
- Jedburgh Abbey 30m
- Carter Bar 10m
- Steel Rigg 45m
- Vindolanda Entry included 1h 30m
- Moffat 25m
What’s included
- Entrance to Vindolanda Roman Army Museum (or Homesteads Roman Fort if Vindolanda is closed).
- transport in a 16-seat Mercedes mini-coach.
- the services of a professional English-speaking driver-guide.
- small-group tour experience with a maximum of 16 passengers.
- Every day except Friday 08:15
Information
Day tour from Edinburgh to Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda Roman Army Museum and the Scottish Borders with a guide and small group of up to 16.
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The experience
The day starts in Edinburgh and heads south toward the Scottish Borders, first stopping in Jedburgh, a market town Mary Queen of Scots visited, where you can see the Abbey if you choose. From there the route climbs to Carter Bar on the edge of the Cheviot Hills: the crossing point between Scotland and England that has marked the border for 700 years and runs close to the ancient Roman road. This is where the landscape shifts and the history becomes visible in the terrain itself.
Hadrian's Wall is the main event: you'll stop at Steel Rigg, the wildest and most northerly frontier of the ancient Roman Empire, and have time to walk beside the wall itself. This is where Roman foot soldiers stood guard, and the isolation they would have felt (the emptiness to the north, the weight of the empire behind them) becomes real when you're standing there. From Steel Rigg the tour follows the south side of the wall through Northumberland National Park and the Irthing Valley, stopping at other Roman sites like Dere Street and Birdoswald Fort.
Vindolanda Roman Army Museum is included in the tour price and is one of Europe's most important Roman archaeological sites. The museum holds writing tablets (actual letters and documents written by Roman soldiers and civilians) that were preserved in the waterlogged ground. An altar to the god Vulcan, set up by civilians at the fort, is on display. It's one of the pieces that confirmed the Roman name for the fort was Vindolanda. If Vindolanda is closed (it shuts in January and part of February), the tour visits Homesteads Roman Fort instead. On the return journey north, you'll have a short break in Moffat, a Victorian spa town famous for its mineral springs and for Moffat toffee, before heading back to Edinburgh past the Pentland Hills.
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 15 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.
What is Hadrian's Wall and why do we stop at Steel Rigg?
Hadrian's Wall is the northernmost frontier of the ancient Roman Empire, stretching across northern England. Steel Rigg is the wildest section of the wall and the stop on this tour where you have time to walk beside it and experience the isolation Roman soldiers would have felt guarding the empire from the north.
What can I see and do at Vindolanda Roman Army Museum?
Vindolanda holds writing tablets (actual letters and documents written by Roman soldiers and civilians) preserved in the waterlogged ground for nearly 2,000 years. The museum also displays an altar to the god Vulcan set up by civilians at the fort. Admission is included in the tour price.
How many people travel on this tour and who leads it?
The group is limited to a maximum of 16 passengers, and a professional English-speaking driver-guide leads the tour and shares the history of Roman Britain and the Scottish Borders throughout the day.
What happens if Vindolanda is closed when I book?
Vindolanda closes in January and part of February. If it's closed during your tour date, you'll visit Homesteads Roman Fort instead, another important Roman site on Hadrian's Wall, with admission included.
How long is this tour and when does it depart?
The tour runs 10.5 hours and departs from Edinburgh Bus Station (Gate J and Gate K, St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH1 3DQ). Check-in closes 15 minutes before departure.
What should I bring and what are the luggage limits?
You're limited to 20kg (44lbs) of luggage per person: one piece similar to an airline carry-on bag (approximately 55cm x 45cm x 25cm) plus one small bag for onboard personal items. Wear comfortable walking shoes and layers, as you'll be walking beside the wall and the weather in Northumberland can change quickly.
Operated by Rabbies Trail Burners. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 7 days ago
Hadrian's Wall tour from Edinburgh: Roman sites & Borders
10h 30m · EN
from £ 88.01 per person
≈ US$ 118 in your currency
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