Roaming with Romans (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Roaming with Romans

3:29pm Tuesday 16th November 2010 in Travel By Tim Quantrill

It is 1,600 years ago this year that the last Roman legions left Britain to defend their home country from invasion and plunge Britain into the Dark Ages. So if you ask what the Romans did for us, there are few reminders of the time when we were part of their huge empire.

Central heating, baths and lavatories were standard in villas and bathhouses but it took until the Victorians to re-introduce them to most Britons while Roman roads proved the quickest way to cross the country until motorways came along 1,549 years later.

But there is one monument that has stood the test of time and is a powerful reminder of what a grip the conquerors had on our islands – Hadrian’s Wall. Snaking about 100 miles from the coast west of Carlisle to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the wall proved to be an effective barrier at keeping the barbarians at bay and its remains still dominate the landscape.

You can walk its entire length on the National Trail or do as my partner and I did and dip in to sample some of the impressive monuments that dot the landscape of Cumbria and Northumberland.

A greener and far more relaxing way to explore all the stretches of the World Heritage Site and other attractions in the area is to take the AD122 bus – named after the date when the wall was built under Emperor Hadrian – and hop on or off whenever you fancy.

There are many Roman sites at which you can discover the impressive facilities which were built, with each one offering something special. Chesters has remains of a bathhouse that wouldn’t disgrace a modern gym, Vindolanda features records written on wood that today’s civil servants would envy and the Roman Army Museum brings it all to life with relics and films.

But the frequent bus also links a lot of towns, walks, eateries, pubs and accommodation so that it is easy to leave the car behind and discover Hadrian’s Wall Country in a relaxing style.

Green tourism especially is booming in the area under the guidance of the Hadrian’s Wall Country tourism initiative with many businesses transforming themselves into places to eat and drink, stay or shop which have a smaller impact on the environment.

Wark (pronounced to rhyme with ark) is just north of the wall and is a great place to base yourself to explore the area. Not only does the town boast beautiful old buildings, shops and pubs, there are the remains of a castle and a fancy cast-iron bridge across the North Tyne.

There are numerous walks in the area and surrounding attractions such as Kielder Water, Northumberland National Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and stately homes like Wallington and Belsay Hall are within easy reach.

We stayed at Battlesteads Hotel in the town. The buildings may be old but the facilities are bang up-to-date thanks to the efforts of proprietors Richard and Dee Slade. Over the past five years, they have modernised all the rooms and they and their staff offer a warm welcome. Judging by their frequent smiles of recognition, many people must be regular returnees and I’m not surprised.

The bar boasts local real ales and the food in the restaurant is superb. Local fresh ingredients are used with great skill to create great traditional dishes – with lamb, venison and fish and shellfish prominent on the menu. The breakfasts are no less impressive with a choice of no less than six jams, marmalades or honeys to go with continental and cooked dishes like smoked haddock or the full English.

The restaurant is based in the conservatory at the rear of the hotel on the edge of the wildlife garden which forms a stunning backdrop to the dining experience. This is just the visible evidence of the Slades’ passion for creating an award-winning and profitable business which still takes care of the local environment and is a valued part of the local community.

Behind the garden is the jewel in the crown, a building housing the woodchip boiler which provides ample hot water for all of the hotel’s 17 bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen. Richard explained to me that when they first arrived at Battlesteads, he and his wife discovered that if three of the guests were using the electric showers, the fuses in the hotel would blow! Quoted tens of thousands of pounds to improve the electricity supply, the couple instead used an energy audit to find a better alternative.

Now the plant uses waste wood from neighbouring forestry operations to not only cut the hotel’s carbon footprint but excess heat is also piped under polytunnels to help them grow salad and vegetables 12 months of the year – and you cannot get much more local than 20 yards from the kitchen!

Richard also expressed his pride in the large flocks of sparrows and other wildlife that Battlesteads encourages as he gave us a tour of the allotment also on the site. We grazed as we wandered down the rows of greens, pulses, salads and soft fruits – grow your own has never tasted so good! Battlesteads proved not only to be a relaxing and welcoming place to stay but heaven for foodies and nature-lovers like ourselves.

The eco-friendly theme is continued at other places around the area – appropriately in an area that prides itself on its clean air, fantastic countryside and clean water. The Old Repeater Station B&B uses a borehole hundreds of feet deep to not only supply its water but some of the heat it needs too. There are many that are part of the local Green Tourism business scheme and offer locally-sourced produce and fair-trade goods.

Whether your interest is historic towns and sites, scenery and countryside activities, good food and drink or just shopping and relaxing, Hadrian’s Wall country and the Northumbrian hills has anything a visitor could fancy. So why not find out what the Romans could do for you.