- Play Hard
- 8th Jul 2026
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Where history is still being made: A summer to remember at Vindolanda and The Roman Army Museum
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Two extraordinary sites, one remarkable corner of Northumberland- and this summer, there has never been more reason to visit.
There are few places in England where you can stand above an active archaeological trench and watch the Roman Empire re-emerge from the earth in real time. Vindolanda, nestled just south of Hadrian’s Wall in the Northumberland countryside, is one of them. And this summer, the site, along with its sister attraction, the Roman Army Museum at nearby Magna Fort, is buzzing with discovery, events, and experiences that make it one of the most exciting days out in the North East for families and history lovers.
One ticket. Two destinations. And a story that has been unfolding for nearly 2,000 years, with no sign of slowing down.
Only an estimated 27% of Vindolanda has been excavated to date. That means there are approximately 150 more years of discovery still waiting beneath the surface of this World Heritage Site. Every summer, something extraordinary comes out of the ground, and this year is no different.
A SUMMER FULL OF EVENTS
Beyond the excavations, both sites have a packed programme of events running throughout summer 2026, and the beauty of the joint Saver Ticket is that you can discover both in a single day (or split across two days if the Northumberland weather has other ideas).
Mani Kambo x ZigZag Days
From 10th July
Something a little different, and all the more memorable for it. Newcastle-based artist Mani Kambo spent spring 2026 as artist-in-residence at Magna, and from 10th July her collaboration with local community group ZigZag Days (a Haltwhistle Partnership project that has been working with the Trust since 2021) comes to life as a new temporary installation in the Magna landscape. Developed through artist-led workshops exploring participants’ relationship with this ancient place, it forms part of the Trust’s wider creative programme, The Land We Walk On. A quietly moving addition to an already extraordinary site.
Romans Return to Vindolanda
11th and 12th July
If you have children who need convincing that history is exciting, bring them to Vindolanda on 11th or 12th July, when the world-famous Ermine Street Guard return for a full Roman military weekend. Watch artillery demonstrations and battlefield manoeuvres on the fort site; explore a Roman encampment where craftspeople demonstrate shoemaking and coin-striking; and, the undisputed highlight for most children, join Roman Soldier School, where you can dress in armour, learn military commands, and march in formation on a 2,000-year-old parade ground. There are two displays and two Soldier School sessions each day, so there is plenty of opportunity to catch everything.
Archery on the Frontier
29th and 30th August
Round off the summer holidays with a bow and arrow overlooking the ancient fort of Magna. This family-friendly weekend event, running 10.00am to 4.00pm on both days, alongside members of the Ermine Street Guard, puts history directly in your hands. Magna was garrisoned by a cohort of Hamian archers who had travelled all the way from Syria to serve on the empire’s northern edge – there’s something fitting about testing your own aim on the landscape they once patrolled. A wonderful, active way to spend the August bank holiday weekend.
THE GUIDED TOURS
Ask any regular visitor to Vindolanda what they would recommend above all else, and nine times out of ten, the answer involves the guided tours. Free with admission, they’re one of the best-kept secrets in North East heritage – and the reviews on Google and TripAdvisor make clear just how much visitors treasure them.
At Vindolanda, free 45-minute tours run multiple times daily from the main Westgate entrance throughout the season, led by a team of local volunteer guides whose warmth and knowledge bring the site to life in a way no audio guide can replicate. No booking required, and all ages are welcome. On the third Sunday of each month, audio-described tours — developed in partnership with VocalEyes — run as the first tour of the day, making the fort accessible to visitors with visual impairments.
At Magna, guided tours of the fort site run on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from May through October, departing at 10.30am and 1.00pm from the museum entrance. They cross rugged Northumberland terrain (sturdy boots are recommended) and take in the whole layered history of the landscape, from the Roman frontier to the Border Reivers and beyond. The views alone are worth the walk.
VISIT THE LIVE EXCAVATIONS OF THE MAGNA FORT
A short walk from the Roman Army Museum sits Magna Fort (historically known as Carvoran), a Roman site larger than Vindolanda itself, sitting at the strategic junction of the Stanegate Road and the Maiden Way, just south of Hadrian’s Wall. It is currently the focus of a major five-year excavation project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and what it is revealing is remarkable.
Already the dig has produced some headline-grabbing finds: among them, a collection of 34 Roman leather shoes unearthed from the fort’s defensive ditches, several of them astonishingly large, including one equivalent to a UK size 13 or 14, making it one of the largest Roman shoes ever found in Britain.
There has also been a dual-balance beam scale, one of only a dozen ever discovered in Britain, pointing to sophisticated trade and commerce at the site, as well as leather, rope, bowls, beads and fragments of armour from the fort’s deep organic deposits.
“Every trench tells us something new about the people who lived here nearly 2,000 years ago,” says Dr Andrew Birley, Director of Excavations at the Vindolanda Trust. “Magna was more than a fort – it was a community, a crossroads, and a melting pot of cultures on the very edge of the Roman Empire.”
Visitors to the Roman Army Museum can walk across to the excavation and watch history being uncovered in real time, Monday to Friday throughout the summer season.
The excavation site will be open for visitors Monday – Friday, weather permitting, with excavators on site between 9.30am – 12.00pm, 1.00pm – 2:30pm and 3.00pm – 4.00pm.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
Both sites are open daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm. The joint Saver Ticket covers entry to both Roman Vindolanda Fort & Museum and the Roman Army Museum & Magna Fort, saving families £15 on the combined admission price. All on-site events and guided tours are included in admission.
This is one of the great days out in the North East, and one not to miss this summer.
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