Travel: Hadrian's Wall

As a child, I believed I should make it my business to see them all. The ancient list is definitely a missed opportunity, as only one of the seven – the Giza pyramid – is still in existence. The medieval one is still doable, with a major travel budget and a sabbatical. Perhaps not. And the most modern one includes the internet. Where's the challenge in that?

So the grown-up me created my own list, with things on it that I have seen and at which I have wondered. The word 'wonder' in fact comes from the Greek theamata, meaning 'to be seen' – or 'must-see', in today's speak. And to the likes of the Sahara, Mount Fuji and a deserted Gullane beach at sunset, I'd like to add Hadrian's Wall.

"But it's just a wall," said a friend. "What's so special about that?"

What's so special? Well, it formed the Roman frontier across the north of England for the best part of 300 years, was built in AD122 on the orders of emperor Hadrian, is a Unesco World Heritage site and attracts visitors from all over the world.

My sons would say the best bits are the roman forts on the B6318 Military Road, at Housesteads – where many an ancient broadsword duel has been recreated using plastic gift-shop replicas – and Vindolanda, where they watched archaeologists dig up history, read personal 'letters' sent back to Rome by homesick legionnaires, and giggled at the graffiti of male genitals etched into a stone near the latrines.

And for me, while the forts and places where tourists cluster around the history are intelligently planned and not overstated, the special thing is looking out from the ancient stones across the beautiful, bleak Northumberland landscape, which makes it so very easy to conjure up the past. It is a rare place where one can feel history, its triumphs, hardships, even the mundanities of everyday life more than 1,800 years ago.

And on Saturday, Britain's most famous wall will look even more like it did back then, as it is lit by a trail of light – 500 beacons set at 250m intervals the length of Hadrian's legacy, from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. While probably still not visible from space, like parts of China's Great Wall, the lights will bring a new dimension to one of our most iconic monuments, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for wall nuts like myself to see our beloved stones getting the attention they deserve.

The ambitious event, led by Hadrian's Wall Heritage, is part of a programme celebrating the landscape and culture of northern England, and a highlight of this year's British Tourism Week (15-21 March).

"This project promises to leave a lasting legacy for the region through its engagement with people along the wall, as well as visitors," says Carol Bell, of the NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

Segedunum, or 'strong fort', in Wallsend, is known as the gateway to the 73-mile wall. Its award-winning museum gave my boys a fascinating insight – with its interactive displays and 35m-high viewing tower – into life for the 600 Roman soldiers who would have lived there, charged – like other garrisons along the mighty barrier – with defending Hadrian's Empire from the "barbarians" to the north.

Linda Tutiett, chief executive of Hadrian's Wall Heritage, says, "Segedunum will provide a great venue for people to enjoy this amazing event. As well as the chance to see the first points of light illuminated, the audience can watch an unusual piece of street theatre by Berlin-based Theater Anu."

Now, we barbarians can either drive our chariots down the A1 or catch a train down the east coast line and be in wall country in just a couple of hours. We stayed at Hedgefield House, in Ryton, a comfortable B&B set in four acres of award-winning gardens. Be warned, though: you may need more than the continental breakfast on offer before setting forrth for a quick march out to Vindolanda.

For my partner, who is more town than windswept country, the fact that Hedgefield was an ideal base for 'doing' the wall and still making it into Newcastle city centre for dinner and to catch a film at Tyneside Cinema made it worth braving the great outdoors. While I have spent many weekends walking the wall, then cosying up in camping barns (Winshields Farm, at Bardon Mill, being a favourite) after a pub meal, it was my first experience of the winning combination of what the united NewcastleGateshead has to offer culturally, plus my regular shot of history.

We spent Saturday touring the Military Road, 'doing' the forts and walking two miles from Housesteads to Sycamore Gap – site of the tallest piece of surviving wall and the Robin Hood tree, as it became known locally after featuring in Kevin Costner's 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Then it was back to Newcastle Quayside for dinner at Gusto, a stylish but relaxed restaurant where we enjoyed superb food and wine while looking out at the iconic Millennium Bridge, before going on to the art deco gem that is Tyneside Cinema – recently refurbished and home to the country's last surviving news cinema still in full-time operation.

Sunday was more town than country, for the man who feels a little insecure if he can't see a pylon or hear the reassuring rumble of a lengthening traffic jam. We started with a bit more of the Romans in Britain, this time at Segedunum, before heading for the Newcastle Climbing Centre – 15m heights and over 1,200m2 of indoor climbing walls, set within the former St Mark's church, where we left the boys stretching their legs – and everything else – while we settled into the nearby Cumberland Arms for a pre-lunch beer.

Back in the city centre, the boys' climbing-wall hunger was sated with the best of locally produced organic food at the atmospheric Blackfriars restaurant, which claims to be the oldest dining room in England – having once been the canteen for a medieval monastery. And while steak wasn't on their Sunday lunch menu, the boys were delighted when the chef decided to indulge their whims.

After that, we enjoyed a visit to the vibrant Life Science Centre, in Newcastle's Scotswood Road, took us out of this world via a portal that is the region's largest immersive digital planetarium theatre. It seemed fitting that a weekend that started amid the foundations of Roman construction, dating thousands of years back to the outer reaches of Britain's history, should end with the digital wonder of beacons of light millions of miles away in the outer reaches of our universe.

As for the wall that Hadrian built, and its own line of beacons, I'm sure audiences on Saturday, myself included, will stand and watch in awe and wonder.

Fact File: Newcastle

What to see For discounts at top attractions, get a Discover Pass – 2 from the tourist office (www.visitnewcastlegateshead.co.uk). Hadrian's Wall (www.hadrians-wall.org, www.illuminatinghadrianswall.com) is amust-see; NewcastleGateshead (www.NewcastleGateshead.com) is the place for great shopping, nightlife and culture.

Getting there

A return rail fare from Edinburgh to Newcastle costs from 44.30 (www.eastcoast.co.uk); to get there by car, take the A1 south – travel time is around two hours. Public transport information for wall country (www.traveline.org.uk).

Where to stay

Hedgefield House, Stella Road, Ryton, Tyne & Wear (0191-413 7373, www.hedgefieldhouse.co.uk) – double rooms cost from 60 a night; Winshields Farm campsite and bunk barn, Military Road, Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland (01434 344243) – stays start from 6 per person, per night.

Where to eat

Blackfriars, Friars Street, Newcastle, (0191-261 5945, www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk); Cumberland Arms, James Place Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle (www.thecumberlandarms.co.uk); Gusto, East Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, (0191-260 2291, www.gustorestaurants.uk.com)

• This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, March 7, 2010