I'm getting excited about the trip, and starting to think of logistics. I want to figure out as much as possible before the trip, since due to flight cancellations, I'll be traveling more than 24 hours with very little sleep! (SEVEN hour layover in Chicago...) And this is my first trip to the north of England.

Flying into Manchester, I gather the best way to the area is train to Haltwhistle and then a bus to the Once Brewed Youth Hostel where I'm staying, is that right? What time does the sun set in August there? I don't want to be traveling after dark.

Sukey

Hi Sukey,

Hope i can be of some help,no idea what date you are arriving but for train times from manchester airport i would look here..

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

And for the bus timetable try looking here..

http://www.hadrians-wall.org/Plan_Public_Transport.aspx

Hope thats been of some help..

Alex.

Hadrians Wall bus was quite handy, and runs all the way to and from Newcastle if you do not want to train as far as Hexham or Haltwhistle. Pretty cheap too.
T.Wolter

Sukey, it sounds like you've got a pretty good plan.

At the end of June it stays usably light until after 10PM. By August you can figure that you'll be able to see what you're doing until at least 8PM.

If you've got a few extra bucks/pounds to splurge the first night, I'd recommend hiring a taxi at Haltwhistle. After such a long flight followed by two train trips (one from Manchester to Carlisle and another from Carlisle to Haltwhistle), waiting for that last bus to take you the last 3-4 miles could be a real pain. When you get to Haltwhistle, just find one of the many pubs/hotels lining the main road. Folks are friendly and happy to help you hire a taxi.

Hope you have a great trip! After you're back I'd love you to post what you thought of everything.

Isn't the Internet great? Not only can I get travel advice, I can even pull up train schedules, maps and even satelite images to see where I'm going. The taxi idea sounds like a good one. I'm sure I'm going to be mostly dead by the time I get to Haltwhistle.

I know I'm going to enjoy myself immensely. I first heard about Vindolanda in a documentary I show my students about the Roman Empire, and I was so excited when I found out amateurs could volunteer there. I'll be happy to post some comments on my experiences.

Sukey
I dig Vindo for the first time this spring and enjoyed it immensely. You should too.
A couple of things to ponder.
Being without a car has some drawbacks. It is a good morning's walk from the Hostel to the site, maybe 1.5 or 2 miles. I was walking it from the Twice Brewed, and had to hurry them up a bit on the breakfast schedule to get digging on time. Make sure the Hostel can put some food in you early enough.
Other than the Hostel and Twice Brewed you will find food scarce. There really is not much in the area other than sheep! Cafe at the Vindo site is your best bet for lunch.
Stock up on some candy bars etc when in Haltwhistle, there are no stores anywhere near Vindo.
I needed Wellies in the spring digging season. Stupid, heavy things to lug around the world, but necessary. I left mine on site at the end of the day. Probably should have left them there when I went home stateside, for the use of others.
Food at the Once Brewed is said to be mediocre. The Twice Brewed it is better, but kind of hit and miss. I had the same thing on two different nights, once good, once, well, edible. If you get a chance and a ride, Milecastle Inn down the road a ways was very tasty.
If you fancy a walk along the Wall, a great stretch is right up the hill from Once Brewed. You could walk a stretch in the long evenings if you can pass up ale at the pub!
Enjoy, I am planning on being back next year.
Tim Wolter

Good advice, Tim! Thanks. I figured that food would be an issue, and am planning to stock up. AND bring my boots, despite then having to haul them around Scotland afterwards! It's funny, I'd thought about buying an inexpensive pair and leaving them at the site for later visitors as well. It's tough to figure out how to pack for physical labor in the mud, without looking like a total ragamuffin for later sightseeing!

The walk along the wall sounds great. I can't wait!!

I did exactly that with the boots, just left 'em there on site after I was done. -Way- easier than lugging them back and forth. Though I shudder to think what might be growing inside them now after so long.

I know you won't have a car so it'll be tricky, but at the market town of Hexham, about 15 miles east of Vindolanda and right on the train line, there's a -huge- superstore called TESCO. It's basically like the U.S.'s Super WalMarts, a full department store & a full grocery store in one. You can buy basically all your digging clothes, underwear, socks, mud boots, trail food, snacks, toiletries, raincoats, what-have-you, right there and not have to bring any of that at all. And the prices are crazy cheap.

Thanks for the tip about Tesco. I see there is also a Tesco store in Carlisle, near the train station. I'll be going through there to get to Vindolanda, so maybe I can stock up while waiting for my connecting train. It would be easier to pick up some necessities in England rather than taking them with me on the plane. If the dollar doesn't take a complete nose dive between now and then...

Hi Sukey,

Harry's right about the Tesco in Hexham!

Here's how I generally organized my meals while/whilst at Vindolanda.

Get a good breakfast early on (as another user mentioned, 'early' is critical)

Shlep to Vindolanda. I stayed about 1 mile from the site, so planned on a 20 minute walk.

Work, or in my case, roll in the mud as much as possible. When you meet David the archaeologist, ask him about 'Yankees rolling in the mud'. Don't be surprised if he rolls his eyes.

End of day: two options.

1) Go back to your accommodation, have shower, then walk to Twice Brewed.

2) Alternatively, have shower, then stroll over to the nearest Hadrian's Wall bus stop (at the Once Brewed vistor center and at Vindolanda itself, natch). Take bus (probably the last of the day, circa 1750-1755) into Hexham. You'll arrive around 1823 (ie, 6:23 PM).

And then--you have ARRIVED. Hexham has at least three good Indian restaurants, plus various pubs, hotel restaurants, etc--and, of course, the Tesco.

How does one get back? Well, there's a commercial bus (Route 85, I think--check this) from Hexham which leaves, as I recall, around 7:41 PM. The bus station is easily accessible, and it costs £3 to go to Bardon Mill, which is south of Vindolanda. You may think, rightly, that I'm insane to suggest spending a mere hour or so in Hexham, but in that time you can get a tasty meal, plus the bus trip itself is very pleasant.

From Bardon Mill, hop off the bus and walk (yes, walk) back to Vindolanda, and thence to Once Brewed. Is it a bit of a hike? Yes. Around 3 miles or a tad more (a 'tad' is the unit of measurement I use when unsure, but don't wish to discourage the reader).

Is it worth the walk? For me, definitely--nothing nicer than a walk in the evening, seeing the countryside and digesting my food.

So, if you want a night out in Hexham, it's doable if you don't mind a health-giving stroll back 'home' afterward.

Enjoy the digging, and tell Andy, Justin and David I said 'hello'!

Sukey
I do not know if you have traveled in rural england before, but a few words about the traditional english breakfast.
It contains enough calories to fuel a full day of digging. Indeed, since you can run most diesel engines on cooking grease, it contains enough to fuel a bulldozer digging all day. If your accomodation serves it, you will be able to go light the rest of the day.
mmmm...fried eggs, toast, bacon, mushrooms, hashbrowns, black pudding, oatmeal.
although it does get a bit monotonous.
Where in the states you hail from?

T.Wolter

I can't handle the full English breakfast--I'm a lightweight, and content myself with cereal and an omelette, which has occasioned worried remarks from my hosts in the past.

I'm such a wimp.

Tsk, tsk Eric. You can brave the wilds of Scotland but not a little black pudding? And for those who don't know what black pudding is.... Well... Just don't ask.

And careful if you ask the folks at the Twicey for eggs "over easy." The English are averse to flipping eggs mid-fry!

Much good advice, much appreciated! I'm sure I'll cope just fine with everything...except the black pudding.

I have thought of smuggling in some jalapeno peppers (I'm from Arizona), as the last time I was in Great Britian I ended up so desparate for Mexican food I forced my Welsh host to make enchiladas. Maybe I'll just bring some tortillas...

One week! I'll be there in one week!

So Sukey.
how did it go?
I do home you survived the Black Pudding.

T.Wolter