Hadrian's Wall - Featured Places

This is a listing of points in order along Hadrian's Wall, some are structures, some viewpoints. These are listed from West to East.

The wall was built from east to west, and the milecastles and turrets are numbered later likewise from east to west. The first turret was numbered 0A and first mile fort 1. When visiting there is no advantage going along the wall one way or the other. My first visit started at the west, the second from the east. For simplicity we have arranged this list from left to right, therefore from west to east. Most remains are included, but not every remains of milecastles or turrets that are away from easy access are included. I am considering creating another list of all milecastles, turrets and forts with their positions and what is there to be seen if anything.

The criteria to be featured in this list is its either a major item, particularly interesting, an unusual feature or just very easily accessible. Some car parks or stopping places are included to make planning easier.

We also have an article Hadrian's Wall and another covering the wider topic of Roman Frontiers. 

Places linked in the left column go to location our pages.

VC= Visit Cumbria  TR= National Trail

Featured location	NGR	Type of location or what is there	Website Links
Bowness on Solway		End of original wall. Nothing to see now.
Carlisle		Remains of forts and roman town found.
Hare Hill	NY564647	A short length of rebuilt Wall, still standing 2.7metres (8.8feet) high from 19th century rebuild.	Geograph Photo Photo 2
Banks East Turret	NY574648	Banks Turrets 51B and 52A, well-preserved turrets with adjoining stretches of Hadrian’s Wall. this section of the wall was built with turf plus stone turrets and mile castles. Later the walls were rebuilt in stone.	VC  Geograph
Pike Hill Signal Tower	NY577648	Predates the wall. The remains of one of a network of signal towers predating Hadrian’s Wall, Pike Hill was later joined to the Wall at an angle of 45 degrees. Located between the two turrets above.	VC Geograph
Leahill Turret and Piper Sike Turret	NY586653	Turrets west of Birdoswald. Piper Sike has a cooking-hearth.	Geograph
Appletree Turf Wall	NY597656	A section of turf wall runs from Appletree towards Birdoswald. It runs along the edge of the vallum south of the main wall. Joining the main wall at milecastle 49 and running south of the fort before rejoining the main wall at milecastle 49.  See Birdoswold for explanation.	Geograph  Photo
Birdoswald Roman Fort Birdoswald Roman Fort	NY615663	Roman Fort and Visitor Centre. The Fort is one of the most impressive locations for a Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall. Set on a high spur overlooking the River Irthing the views are spectacular and it becomes very clear why the Romans built a fort on the site.  The best preserved defences of any of the 16 major forts.	Own Geograph
Milecastle 49 Harrow's Scar Milecastle	NY619663	A long section of the Wall, rebuilt in stone later in Hadrian’s reign. It is linked to Birdoswald Roman Fort. Known as milecastle 49.	Wiki Geograph
Willowford Bridge Willowford Wall, Turrets and Bridge Abutment	NY622664	914 metre (2,999 feet) stretch of Wall, including two turrets and impressive bridge remains beside the River Irthing, one of three foundation sets on this site for bridge.	VC Geograph
Poltross Burn Milecastle Milecastle 48  Also known as Kings stables mile castle	NY634661 OS Multimap	Milecastle 48.  One of the best preserved milecastles on Hadrian’s Wall, Poltross includes an oven, a stair to the rampart walk, and the remains of its north gateway.	VC   Wiki Geograph
Roman Army Museum and Carvoran Roman Fort	NY667657	Same operators as Vindolanda  below.	Own Geograph
Walltown Quarry	NY670660	Stop off point, parking, picnic site, refreshments, toilets incl. disabled, access to National Trail, hard rock trail (about 45 minutes)	TR Geograph
Walltown Crags	NY672662	Photo Point - One of the best places of all to see the Wall, dramatically snaking and diving along the crags of the Whin Sill.	EH Geograph
Cawfields Quarry Car Park	NY714666	Stop off point - Car Parking  Max: 40 bays.  Toilets (including disabled).	TR  Geograph
Cawfields Roman Wall and Milecastle 42	NY715667	Photo Point. A stretch of Hadrian’s Wall on a steep slope, with turrets and an impressive milecastle, probably built by the Second Legion. Accessible from Cawfields Quarry car park above.	Geograph
Once Brewed Visitor Centre	NY748668	Once Brewed is situated close to Hadrian's Wall and is the main Visitor Centre for exploring the National Park and World Heritage Site. The Pennine Way also crosses near here. Everything from tourism to exhibitions to parking is here.	TR  Geograph
Winshields Wall	NY744676	Photo Point. The highest point on the Wall, in rugged country with spectacular views when it's a clear day.	Geograph
Steel Rigg Car Park	NY751676	Car park next to Winshields Wall	TR  Geograph
Steel Rigg	NY755676	One of the best photo points on the wall.	Multimap Multimap aerial Geograph
Sycamore Gap and Castle Nick Milecastle 39	NY761677	Milecastle 39. Built in a natural nick in the hillside	Wiki Geograph
Roman Vindolanda (Chesterholm) Roman Vindolanda	NY772663	Photo Point. Vindolanda is a large Roman fort and settlement lying just to the south of Hadrian's Wall. Recent excavations have uncovered numerous buildings and some of the most unusual and well preserved artefacts from the Roman world. In the site museum, you can see Roman boots, shoes, armour, jewellery and coins. There is also a full size replica of a section of Hadrian's Wall built in both stone and timber, giving the visitor a true idea of the might of the monument. There are ongoing archaeological excavations at the site.	Own  Geograph
Milecastle 38	NY772681	Milecastle 38 had a Stone containing names of the Emperor Hadrian and Aulus Platorius Nepos, the governor of Britannia at the time the Wall was built. The aerial photo does not show much remaining.	Wiki Multimap aerial Geograph
Milecastle 37	NY784686	Has a nearly complete arch allowing height to be calculated.	Geograph
Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum Housesteads Roman Fort	NY790687	Photo Point. The best preserved Roman fort in Britain. One of the 12 forts added to the Wall in about AD124, it was designed to contain a garrison of 800 soldiers. Large sections of wall in each direction, with good views. From the car park it is a long uphill walk to the fort.	NT  TR  Geograph
Sewingshields Wall Milecastle 35	NY803702	A length of Wall with milecastle remains, impressively sited along the Whin Sill, commanding fine views of many prehistoric and later earthworks to the north.	Geograph  Photo
Coesike Turret	NY821705 Multimap	Turret 33B.  Good views and vallum.	Geograph  Photo   2 Photo Vallum West Photo vallum east
Temple of Mithras  Brocolitia Roman Fort   Coventina's Well	NY858712	The Temple of Mithras is a 3rd century temple built to worship the roman god Mithras. Later largely destroyed by Christians. Brocolitia Roman Fort and Coventina's Well are at the same location.	TR Geograph
Blackcarts Turret	NY888714	A 460-metre (1,509 feet) length of Hadrian’s Wall including one turret.	Geograph
Chesters Roman Fort Chesters Roman Fort	NY911702	Photo Point. The best preserved remains of a cavalry fort in Britain. Built to guard a bridge. Well-preserved commandant’s house. Discover the complex of rooms in the bath house which offered customers hot, cold or steam baths. The site museum displays a wide  collection of Roman finds retrieved by the local antiquarian John Clayton. These include important early archaeological discoveries relating to the central section of the Wall.	Geograph
Chesters Bridge Abutment	NY914701	The remains of the bridge which carried Hadrian’s Wall across the North Tyne are visible on both banks, but most impressively on the eastern side.	Geograph Photo on Chesters Roman fort
Brunton Turret and Wall	NY921699	Wall section and a 2.5 metre (8.2 feet) high turret, built by men of the Twentieth Legion.	Geograph
Planetrees Roman Wall	NY928696	A 15-metre (49 feet) length of later narrow Wall on earlier broad foundations. This is a junction between the two main wall  types.	Geograph Picture  2
Corbridge Roman Town Corbridge Roman Site & Museum [Corstopitum] Corbridge Roman Town	NY983649	Photo Point. The fort dates from AD139, when the Emperor Antoninus Pius advanced the Roman frontier into Scotland. On a principal route northwards, it became a busy garrison town. The remains include a fountain house with an aqueduct, a pair of granaries and walled compounds for the military, containing barracks, temples, houses and a headquarters building with a below-ground strongroom. The museum displays a rich selection of Roman finds.	Geograph
Heddon-on-the-Wall	NZ138669	A consolidated stretch of Wall, up to 2 metres (6.5 feet) thick in places.	Geograph
Chapel House Milecastle Milecastle 9	NZ177662	Milecastle 9, part is visible as low platform, remainder is under road.	Wiki
Denton Hall Turret	NZ198656	The foundations of a turret and a 65metre (213 feet) length of Wall.	Wiki Geograph
Benwell Roman Temple and Vallum Crossing	NZ215646	The remains of a small temple to the native god 'Antenociticus', in the 'vicus' (civilian settlement) which stood outside Benwell fort. A stone-built causeway, where the road from the south crossed the Vallum earthwork on its way to Benwell fort.	Wiki Geograph
Pons Aelius Fort Remains	NZ249645	Thought to have been the original intended end of the wall, later extended to Wallasend. I don't think anything can be seen now.	Wiki  Geograph
Great North Museum	NZ246651	It is the principal museum of archaeology in north east England. Its visitors are those who wish to know more about the history of the region, especially Hadrian's Wall and the Roman frontier. It has a renowned collection of artefacts, models and archives relating to the Wall, and a full-scale reconstruction of the Temple to Mithras at Carrawburgh. Other displays illustrate the variety of life in the region from early prehistory to the 17th century. Interactive model of Hadrian's Wall. Located on Newcastle University's campus.	Own  Geograph
Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths and Museum Wallsend   Segedunum  Roman Fort	NZ301660	Segedunum Roman Fort stood on the banks of the River Tyne, the last outpost of Hadrian's Wall. For almost 300 years Segedunum, which means 'strong fort', was home to 600 Roman soldiers. It is the most excavated Fort along the Wall and has a large interactive museum, plus a 35 metre high viewing tower providing aerial views across this site.	Own Geograph
Arbeia Roman Fort South Shields, Durham Arbeia Roman Fort	NZ364678	Four miles east of the end of Hadrian's Wall at South Shields, Arbeia Roman Fort guarded the entrance to the River Tyne. Built around AD160 the stone fort played an essential role in the frontier system. Originally built to house a garrison, Arbeia soon became the military supply base for the forts along the Wall. Today, the excavated remains, reconstructions of original buildings and finds discovered at the Fort combine to give an insight into life in Roman Britain.	Own Geograph

In addition to the wall there were forts, mileforts and towers down the West coast, now the Cambrian Coast, there were ditches and earthworks at least in places but no wall joining this up.

We will come back to look at these in detail later.

Extending down the western coast:-

Swarthy Hill Milefortlet

Senhouse Roman Museum

Moresby Roman Fort remains

Hardknott Roman Fort remains

Ravenglass Roman Bathhouse

See also:-

Section - Roman

Topic Index - Roman Britain

This list will continue to grow as we come across new places. REMEMBER if know of somewhere that you feel is a good place please let us know.