Vindolanda

Tickets and tours: which to book

Nothing is sold online for Vindolanda alone through the tour platforms, and you do not need a guide. Entry is a single ticket bought at the gate or on the Vindolanda Trust website, and it covers the excavated fort, the civilian settlement, the replica walls, the gardens and the museum. A joint ticket adds the Roman Army Museum at Carvoran, about 15 minutes west by car, which the same charity runs, and costs less than two separate tickets. The site belongs to an independent trust rather than English Heritage, so English Heritage and National Trust membership does not give free entry here.

Information boards and the museum displays explain the remains well enough to go on your own, and in the digging season you can watch the archaeologists at work from the edge of the trenches. Some small-group day trips along Hadrian's Wall from Newcastle or Edinburgh stop at Vindolanda, but many go only to Housesteads, so check the itinerary before paying. Keen visitors can apply for a place on the volunteer excavation team for a week or two; places open long before the season and are usually filled quickly.

The sensible option for most people is the joint ticket, a car or the summer Hadrian's Wall bus, and a half day here followed by Housesteads or the Roman Army Museum.

A short history

The first fort here was built of timber around AD 85, by the First Cohort of Tungrians from what is now Belgium. Batavian troops from the Rhine delta followed in the 90s, and most of the tablets come from their commander's archive, thrown on a bonfire in 104 and saved by rain. Further forts in timber and then stone followed, before and after Hadrian's Wall rose just to the north. Occupation lasted beyond Roman rule, perhaps into the 7th century. Eric Birley bought the site in 1929, his son Robin found the first tablets in 1973, and the family-led trust still excavates. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site, listed in 1987.

Getting there

Vindolanda lies about 2.5 km north of the village of Bardon Mill, between the A69 and the B6318 Military Road, roughly 55 km west of Newcastle. By car it takes a little over an hour from Newcastle or Carlisle; brown signs lead from both roads to the car park beside the entrance. Newcastle Airport is about an hour away.

By train, take the Tyne Valley line between Newcastle and Carlisle to Bardon Mill, then walk up a steep lane for about 40 minutes. In summer the AD122 Hadrian's Wall Country bus links Hexham and Haltwhistle stations with Vindolanda, Housesteads and the Roman Army Museum. From The Sill visitor centre at Once Brewed, a footpath reaches the site in about 30 minutes.

Rules and what to bring

Stay on the paths and off the ancient walls, and do not step into the trenches unless you are part of the excavation team; anything found belongs to the trust. Drones need the trust's permission. Bring waterproofs and warm layers in any season, since the hill is exposed to wind and rain, and wear shoes with grip for wet grass and the steep path to the museum. There is a café near the museum, along with toilets and a shop.

When to go

The main reason to choose your dates carefully is the excavation, which normally runs from spring to early autumn; outside that season the trenches are covered and the site is quieter but less lively. Late spring and early summer bring long days, green hills and fewer families than the school holidays of late July and August, when the car park fills by late morning and the museum gets crowded.

Arrive at opening to have the fort almost to yourself, or come later in the afternoon, when most day trippers have moved on to Housesteads. Weather matters more than heat here: the hill is exposed, rain blows in from the west and even July days can be cool and windy, so pick a dry morning if your plans allow. Winter visits are possible on shorter hours, but in December the light fades before 4 pm. Allow two to three hours, more if you stop to watch the digging.