With well-preserved parts of Hadrian's Wall nearby, we stopped at the Chesters Roman Fort and…read moreMuseum to pick up an information booklet after checking out Hadrian's Wall. But while we were there, how could we say no to some cream tea? Especially since we happened to be there when the weather was beautiful, with clear skies above, where you can bet your but we enjoyed some tasty cream tea in perfect weather. So while we didn't buy a ticket to check out the exterior structure (the Roman Fort), we went into the museum instead. Probably weren't supposed to do that without a ticket, though there wasn't anyone at the museum. Which kind of... surprised me, because there were some seriously neat things inside of it. (The current rate is £6.60, btw, which is different to what others previously posted.) The museum was reallllly neat. Pillars, grave stones, milestones, altars, building stones. And a lot of these items weren't behind glass; they were propped up in shelves or just straight there on the floor. You could touch them, though I'm sure that's frowned upon. Their inscriptions read stuff like, "Building stone with relief of bore." Vindalanda. Or "Dedication to the Goddess Covventina by Titus D. Cosconianus, prefect of the first cohort of Batavians. The Goddess holds a water lily leaf in her right hand, and water flows from a pitcher by her left elbow." And "Tombstone of a Longinus a trumpeter (bucinator)." The museum is called the Clayton Museum, and he was an antiquarian whom excavated sites along Hadrians Wall, which were stored and displayed in the museum. Like I said, very interesting! We spent about 20 minutes exploring this place, and even that was a pretty thorough exploration of the museum. Definitely check it out if you have a particular interest in old architecture.

An interesting set of Roman remains with a small museum and cafe and shop. The site is one of the…read morebest-preserved fortifications of Hadrian's Wall and commands a fine view of the river Tyne. Some of the interpretation is in poor condition.

We visited this historic park well after the posted tourist hours. WHY? Because it's not off…read morelimits. We were the only ones, and even at 9:30 at night, it was still beautiful out and the light was bright enough to see by. We parked in the car park and made our way up to the section of wall, read the markers and began to walk around in the small cattle enclosure there. We weren't there for long, just enough to walk about a half a mile taking in a bit of the history, watching the animals and birds in the area. It was peaceful and tranquil, not at all like the past that remains in these stones.

Looking at tour bus options the history of the ancient Roman wall looked interesting. We started…read morefrom Edinburgh and crossed into England to see the wall. It was built by Romans in 40 AD and with some restoration it is still standing. It spans 70 miles from coast to coast. This wall is a marvel. Be sure to wear hiking boots if you go. We climbed stone steps and walked a small part of the wall with our tour group. The air was cool and windy so jacket with hood is suggested. We saw a herd of sheep at the top. We also saw a few people with daypacks and backpacks walking long sections of the wall. We really enjoyed this trip. My husband said seeing Hadrian's Wall was worth every dollar/pound.

Definitely recommend! The tour guide Lesley is very friendly and helpful. The rooms are beautiful…read moreinside, and you can take photos and videos. Super interesting to hear the history of the castle! Can take an uber from Edinburgh, but will have to call a private car for a ride to the closest train station.

I chose a lovely day to visit Thirlestane Castle in Lauder in the Borders in Scotland.Its easily…read moreaccessible from Edinburgh or even Newcastle. From Edinburgh, it takes you about an hour to get there, down the A68. The castle is located on the Lauderdale estate and nowadays is part of a trust. It's a fairy tale castle and has been in the possession of the Maitland family for over 500 years. One part of the castle is still lived in by the current family, the Duke of Lauderdale. The family tree I'd displayed in one of their rooms and you will notice family connections with other famous aristocratic families like the Dysart's, Home, Lauder, Ogilvie etc The castle is definitely worth a visit. There are many rooms to explore, one grander than the previous. Must confess that my most favourite piece in the castle was an amazingly well preserved toy, a children's play mansion. I have never seen such a grandiose master piece. Every room in this miniature mansion was filled with dolls, furnishings and any possible accessories you can imagine! The staff in the castle are very kind, knowledgeable and very proud of its historic value. There is a small gift shop and a lovely tea room. The tea shop interior is very colourful and warm. They offer plenty of food choices. Sometimes, the service felt a bit chaotic, but they made it up with their very kind attitude. The estate is vast, but I did not get the impression that there is much to explore in the gardens (in the back) However, there is a playground for the children, a large picnic area and a woodland walk that also leads you to the lower car park. Check out their website. There might be some events on that you might like. When I was there they had lots of Rovers (mostly old timers) displayed in the front garden and people were really proud of their cars. This place had lots of character and it's pride in heritage! It's worth a visit - don't miss out! I will be back!

If you are remotely considering a trip to Scotland to visit distilleries (be it any regions,…read moreHighland, Lowland, Speyside or Islay), you must contact Willie and Craig at Celtic legend/Whisky Tours Scotland! After doing some research on-line, I found their site and immediately contacted them to organize a tour with 8 people in the Islay region. We price compared options and their prices were right in line what one could expect finding accommodations and travel. When you factor in their tour guide service and everything else they set up, their prices were quite excellent! And the key being that they are so pleasant to deal with! Willie helped organize the Tour, and Craig was our guide. They also gave us numerous names of folks that toured with them to discuss some of their experiences. They will answer e-mail promptly. For a little background, we planned a larger scale trip that had us fly from Los Angeles to London, then flew into Glasgow (where Craig picked us up), went to Islay, were dropped off in Edinburgh by Craig, then flew to Dublin, then went back to Los Angeles. From the moment Craig picked us up at the airport in Glasgow, the tour was amazing! We spent the first part of the day venturing the countryside on our way to Islay, took the ferry to Islay, stayed the night and began the real tour in the morning! We had the most amazing tour at Laphroaig, went to Ardbeg for an amazing lunch (where the brave of us tried haggis and lamb burgers that were delicious!) , then went to see ruins of the oldest church in Islay (which was uniquely beautiful) and we concluded our tour day with a fun tour at Lagavulin. We then had some delicious dinner at Bridgend. The next day had us go to Bruichladdich, then off to Finlaggin to see the amazing ruins by the sea, then to Kilchomen for some tasty food for lunch, and lastly to Bowmore for the grand finale! The last day was a travel day to Edinburgh, where Craig stopped at many spots along the way for all of us to soak in. Craig was the kindest and nicest guide one could ask for! He was very tolerant of all the odd personalities of our tour group, me especially! We planned out our trip for about 9 months before actually going. We went this past July 2011. Be prepared to pay some deposits to lock in an amazing stay. I simply cannot recommend Celtic legend/Whisky Tours Scotland enough to anyone considering such a trek! Please look Willie and Craig up! They will treat you well! All of us in our group cannot thank them enough for the most amazing experience! (...and a few of the people in the group don't even drink!)

Love coming here. I really only come here now for the view at the top of the castle. I find it very…read morepeaceful and a wonderful place to unwind after class. They offer a nice student discount. Climbing the stairs to reach the top is well worth it if you are physically able! Just another gem of Newcastle.

Well, after going to the Edinburgh Castle this is not as impressive. It is cool that is such an…read moreold building, but I wish it had more going on inside, it is pretty much empty and you just climb and climb until you get to the top, which is the best part. You can see the whole town and the view is pretty nice.

Well this was something I've never experienced before: being down tunnels that was once a coal mine…read moreand a communal air raid shelter during the war. I was visiting from Edinburgh and wanted to do something a bit different and this was definitely it! Our tour guides Micheal and Rory were fantastic, very informative and passionate and really brought the tunnels to life with stories and at one point cool sound effects and pointing out interesting features such as strange prints, a crucifix and the point to where we were standing underneath Hadrian's wall which was amazing! Inside the tunnels was dark damp and muddy but were provided with hard hats and torches but I would suggest wearing comfortable sturdy shoes or boots (not heels) and there is a point on the tour where you walk up a steep incline and it's tough but you have the choice to wait behind and then the decline could be slippy so hold onto the handrail but apart from that it's a very interesting, very cool memorable experience and Micheal and Rory were great!

We booked this tour based on a recommendation and was not disappointed. The two volunteer guides…read morehad a good manner & was enjoyable to listen too. The tunnel was a cool 13 degrees but in this recent hot weather was a nice cool break Without spoiling your visit it's worth a visit.

Despite arriving at check-in time (1500) reception was locked, ringing the bell eventually brought…read moreassistance. We were taken to our room after a slow check-in; passing the breakfast room which might not be the breakfast room tomorrow, and the dining room which might not be the dining room tomorrow. After being shown our room (Thanet) we were informed that our en suite was across the corridor! The bedroom didn't have a wardrobe, so we had to live out of our suitcases for 3 nights. The bedroom had no working bedside lights, a kettle we had to boil on the floor, two wooden chairs so uncomfortable you couldn't sit. After our evening meal we walked through dark corridors to find our room. Overnight we used our phone torches to get from the bedroom to the bathroom. On our first morning, the only option for a hot breakfast was a full English. Why we didn't have written menus beats me! Neither of us was able to eat the sausage on our plates, an awful flavour. The milk to accompany my tea had curdled, after requesting a replacement milk we were told they were having issues with their milk deliveries. After breakfast we asked about how we got into the castle once we return from our day of touring. After appearing confused by the request to return back in the evening the stuttering response was that we would have to ring the estate manager and someone would be available, even if it was midnight when we returned. There was no way we were being given the reception access code. I couldn't shower due to the water temperature fluctuating from freezing cold to scolding hot. Breakfast on the second morning had the same issue with the curdled milk. Fresh tea and milk was brought to the table, however no cup was brought in. We were only informed of other hot breakfast options after we said no to the full English. Back in our "en suite bathroom" the window blind had fallen down. I was very happy to leave & never return.

We were told that only a small portion of the abbey would be closed due to hazardous conditions…read more Unfortunately, we were deceived as the entire chapel is closed. Save you pounds and go elsewhere.

One of the four great Border abbeys it is well worth the £5.20 entrance fee. It feels haunting and…read moreimpressive and I, visiting alone, felt dwarfed, dominated, and in awe of what it must have looked like when complete. It was a Priory ordered by King David in 1138. Made from local stone, it took over 100 years to complete the abbey. On the South facing slopes of River Jed it is town centreish. There has been a church on this site since the 9th century. The Augustinian order took it over in the 11th century and the old church was replaced by the present wonderful building in the early 1200s. David built it to demonstrate to his own subjects - and to those in England - that he could create a magnificent building in the southernmost part of his kingdom. He allowed the monks to create the huge cross-shaped plan of nave, presbytery and transepts in a prominent position while the cloister, chapter house, cellars and other accommodation could be built on lower levels I think they were underground but nothing remains).. leaving the flowing arches of the nave to dominate the site. Standing to full height, and missing only its roof, the nave comprises a spectacle of richly moulded arches, elegant clustered columns topped with waterleaf capitals, and a continuous row of slender lancet windows forming the clerestory. A truly delightful aspect of Jedburgh Abbey is the reconstructed cloister garden, which has been designed and planted to give an impression of a typical monastery garden of the 1500s. During the border wars for Independance it was badly damaged and rebuilt many times. These Wars with the English drove the monks out by the end of the 13th century. The Abbey was reconstructed and again part destroyed several more times during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Immediately after the damage inflicted by the English army at that time, Scotland went through a period of religious reformation which saw an end of the dominance of the Roman Catholic church - and all its symbols, including abbeys and monasteries. So Jedburgh and many other similar buildings were never rebuilt. However, it was used as a parish church. In the late 19th century, when a new parish church was built on the other side of the Jed Water, the Marquis of Lothian paid for major repairs to be carried out and when the great abbey was taken into State care in 1913, it was in better shape than many of its sister abbeys in the Borders. Despite these trials it is one of the best preserved of the Border abbeys. visitor centre has the priceless comb and other artifacts found. One thing I would say is this part of Scotland seems very cold. I went in October and was freezing. Wrap up warm.

Mitchell's totally saved us! We were walking the wall and had a boot fall apart on us just outside…read moreof gilsland. We had seen a take up sign for them and knowing we couldn't keep up with the days hike with a broken boot gave Mitchell a call thinking we would head into town and get a new boot. Well he knew of a little service station that sold boots! Took us there and got us back on the trail in less than 30 minutes. Totally saved our hike just as we were starting to get to the best part of the country side. And the price was right!