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Adventuring North to Hadrian's Wall

During activities week, a group of Warwick boys journeyed north to visit York and Hadrian's Wall. One pupil shares their experience of the trip and some of their favourite moments:

Day 1:

On day one, we arrived in school at the normal time. At 11.45am we boarded the bus on our way to York. After a gruelling three hours, we finally arrived in the city. Due to the fact we arrived early, we had some free time to spend the money that we had been given. After an hour, we met up again at a carousel to head off to a Roman history museum that explained how the baths worked and how the Romans cleaned themselves. After this, we headed off to the Jorvik Viking Centre. This museum was especially cool due to the fact it contained a moving attraction where we could sit in carts and be shown around a reconstruction of a Viking village. After purchasing some items from the gift shop, we were given dinner before getting back on the coach. After another few hours, we arrived at the hostels where we were staying for the night. We then went to bed quickly and concluded day one.  

Day 2:

Day two was an active day. We woke up early at 7.15am to have breakfast, before getting ready to leave for another coach journey. This time we travelled to Walltown Quarry. Both coaches dropped us off in the car park to listen to Mr Stephenson’s safety guide about the hike that we were about to undertake. It was a beautiful three-mile journey, with plenty of amazing views and wonderful historical sites. This was the first time we had encountered Hadrian's Wall on this trip. After this journey we met back at the coaches and went on to explore the Vindolanda fortress. The Vindolanda fortress was an archaeology site for historians who wanted to learn more about Roman life. When we arrived there, we ate the lunch provided for us quickly, before being toured around the fortress and the museum to learn about the Roman lifestyle and the history of Hadrian's Wall.  After this, we returned to the hostel to have supper and had an interactive talk with a Roman soldier named Maximus. 

Day 3:

On day three, we cleared the hostels and packed up all our belongings, except for the equipment that we needed for the trip ahead of us. We embarked on another walk, from the Steel Rig past Sycamore Gap all the way to Housesteads. Once here, we explored another Roman Fort and watched a 20-minute film with 3D glasses about what life was like guarding Hadrian's Wall. Finally, we went to explore Chester’s Roman Fortress and town before the last leg of our return journey on the coach. 

Overall, it was a great chance to bond with classmates and we learned a lot about Ancient Roman culture.