Hexham: The Complete Guide
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in the south west of Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne which forms by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne.
Visiting Hexham for the first time and wondering what are the top places to see in the city? In this complete guide, I share the best things to do in Hexham on the first visit. Top help you plan your trip, I have also included an interactive map and practical tips for visiting!
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12 Best places to See in Hexham
This complete guide to Hexham not only tells you about the very best sights and tourist attractions for first-time visitors to the city but also provide insights into a few of our personal favorite things to do.
This is a practical guide to visiting the best places to see in Hexham and is filled with tips and info that should answer all your questions!
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 26 – Planetrees

Milecastle 26 (Planetrees) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its position is slightly to the south of, but mostly covered by the B6318 Military Road., and it is located around 700 metres (0.43 mi) east of the B6318 Military Road's junction with the A6079. No visible traces exist currently. The dimensions are the same as Milecastles 23, 24, and 25.
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Address: B6318, Hexham NE46 4EQ, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 5.32km
Chester Roman Fort and Museum

Cilurnum is considered to be the best preserved Roman cavalry fort along Hadrian's Wall. The site is now preserved by English Heritage as Chesters Roman Fort. There is a museum on the site, housing finds from the fort and elsewhere along the wall.
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Address: Chesters Roman Fort and Museum - Hadrian's Wall B6318 Chollerford Hexham NE46 4EU United Kingdom | Hours: 10.00 - 17.00 | Distance: 6.43km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 30 – Low Brunton

Milecastle 30 (Limestone Corner) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as an outward-facing scarp with a maximum height of 0.8 metres (2.6 ft).Masonry from the east wall (both faces) remains in situ. The remaining stretch is 3.1 metres (10 ft) in length by 2.25 metres (7.4 ft) thick, and survives to a height of 0.6 metres (2.0 ft).It is located at the western part of Limestone Corner, just off the B6318 Military Road. Milecastle 30 was a long-axis milecastle though the gateways were never excavated and so the type has not been identified.
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Address: B6318, Hexham, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 9.09km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 31 – Carrawburgh

Milecastle 31 (Carrawburgh) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a turf covered platform beside (and partially covered by) the B6318 Military Road, just to the east of Carrawburgh fort (adjoining the car park). Carraw seems to be a Cumbric name cognate with Welsh carrau 'rocks'
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Address: B6318, Hexham, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: free | Distance: 10.12km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 33 – Shield-on-the-Wall

Milecastle 33 (Shield on the Wall) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall, one of a series of small fortlets built at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along the length of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern England.
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Address: Hadrian's Wall Walk, Hexham NE47 6NW, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 11.76km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 35 – Sewingshields

Milecastle 35 (Sewingshields) is one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall (grid reference NY80497018). The remains still exist as exposed masonry. The remains of Milecastle 35 are located on the east facing slope of Sewingshields Crags and survive as stone foundations. The milecastle measures 18.3 metres by 15.2 metres internally and its walls are up to 3.2 metres wide. A Roman branch road running south from Milecastle 35 to join the Military Way survives as a low agger up to 5.5 metres wide and up to 20 centimetres high.
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Address: Hadrian's Wall Walk, Hexham NE47 6NW, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 13.74km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 36 – King's Hill

Milecastle 36 (King's Hill) was one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall (grid reference NY79726931). There is little to see on the ground as most of the walls have been robbed and quarried away.The site of Milecastle 36 is located on King's Hill, 800 metres northeast of Housesteads Roman Fort.
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Address: Hadrian's Wall Walk, Hexham NE47 6NW, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 14.10km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 37 – Housesteads

Milecastle 37 is one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall. It is immediately west of the Housesteads Roman Fort. The remains have been partly reconstructed and consolidated; it is now in the care of English Heritage. The wall has a maximum height of 2.2 metres internally. The milecastle has a short axis, with a Type I gateway. The milecastle contains the remains of a small barrack block in the east half which survives to 1.0 metres high.
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Address: Hexham NE47, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 15.05km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 39 – Castle Nick

Milecastle 39 (Castle Nick) is a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall. Milecastle 39 is located northeast of Once Brewed. The excavated stonework has been consolidated, and the walls are up to 1.75 metres high. It measures 19 metres by 15.5 metres. It was found to have a long axis, with a Type II gateway.
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Address: Pennine Way, Hexham NE47, UK | Hours: 24 Hour | Price: Free | Distance: 17.16km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 41 – Melkridge

The mile fort stood east of the Caw Gap. It was examined in 1946 and presumably it belonged to short-axis type I. It was probably also rebuilt once during its period of use. It was once built over by a cottage house. The building materials for the house came mainly from the walls of the fort. Therefore only a 0.5 m to 1.2 m high rise in the ground and holes dug by predatory graves can be seen of the fortification. A slight depression marks the northeast corner.
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Address: Pennine Way, Haltwhistle, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 20.03km
Hadrian’s Wall – Milecastle 42 – Melkridge

Milecastle 42 (Cawfields) is a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall. The mile fort is located on the ridge of the Cawfields Crags and is one of the most famous structures of this type on Hadrian's Wall. The choice of location shows how uncompromisingly the distances between the individual mile forts were adhered to by the Roman engineers. Its north gate opens onto a steep slope that is impassable for carts and riders, although to the west there is a much more suitable passage (hole gap) just a few meters away. The mile fort measures 19 m × 15 m and covers an area of 0.03 hectares. Its ramparts are 2.4 m wide, but the rampart at this point is only 1.8 m wide. It was probably made according to the original plans built, during the construction of the wall section at Cawfields a more massive construction was probably omitted in order to accelerate the completion of the wall.
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Address: Milecastle 42, Haltwhistle NE49 9PJ, UK | Hours: 24 Hours | Price: Free | Distance: 21.42km
Pike Hill Signal Tower

Pike Hill Signal Tower was one of, a number of signal towers, that were built on high ground overlooking the Roman Stanegate road, the Roman road between Corbridge and Carlisle, in northern Britannia during the early 2nd century. The watchtowers were built on high ground with commanding views, and used for signalling to the Stanegate forts and other towers.
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Address: Pike Hill, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 2BX | Hours: Open any reasonable time during daylight hours. | Price: £2 parking charge applies to non-members | Website | Distance: 35.16km