50 Tiffinians set off on the long journey up North at the crack of dawn on Thursday 4th July. After being cooped up on the coach for so long, it was great to explore the archaeological remains at Housteads Fort with our guide before embarking upon a substantial hike along Hadrian’s Wall itself. We experienced all the seasons in a couple of hours including driving rain and gales, as well as periods of blue skies and sunshine. It was certainly ‘atmospheric’ and evocative of what it would have been like for those Roman legionaries on forced marches subjected to the worst of the weather at the edge of the Empire! A hearty dinner at the hotel was then followed by some very competitive and highly enjoyable games of bowling at the Metro Centre! On Friday we visited the fantastic Roman Army Museum at Hexham before picnicing and Cawfields and exploring one of the milecastles on the Wall itself which was hugely impressive. Our last stop was Vindolanda – a key military post on the northern frontier of Britain. The scale of the site is astounding and our wonderful guide really brought the scene alive with his storytelling about what life was like here doing the Roman occupation. All in all we had a great couple of days and I would like to thank the students for their enthusiasm and exemplary behaviour, as well as all the staff who gave up their free time to make this possible.
Mrs O’Connell
Head of Classics
