England (Northumberland & Cumbria)

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The north of England and the Scottish Borders have been a battleground for a very, very long time.

The Roman Empire battled the northern savages, the Scots from Dál Riata clashed with the Picts, who in turn fought off the Saxons.

Later the English tried, with very limited succes, to convince the Scots of their 'rightful' overlordship, a claim that culminated in the Wars of Independence.

Although the Debateable Lands (very archaic spelling!) was in reality a small border area north of Gretna, the term could easily have applied for all the lands south and north of Tweed and that is precisely the reason why I also included Northumberland and Cumbria. The whole area was very.....debateable!

Underneath you'll find a small number of places of historical interest immediately along The Wall. Ever thought about walking Hadrian's Wall Path? No, it's not as long as the famous Camino to Compostella and probably the weather is.....different, but it certainly is an adventure!

Site rating:

Although the featured attractions, sites and landmarks are always chosen by me, I have made a serious effort to differentiate 4 levels:

(***) This is, for whatever reason, a very personal favourite! Will definitely be on my itinerary! Could possibly be disappointing for someone else though.
(**) A major must-see tourist attraction that you can find in many a brochure.
(*) Worth seeing and possibly interesting if you happen to be in the vicinity.
(-) A hefty dollop of imagination is a must, but it might be interesting if you know the background.