Exploring Hadrian's Wall Traveller Reviews

Hadrian’s Wall May 23-30 2022. Terrific Hotel and guided experience. Our guides created a wonderful outdoor experience, we learned much, ate very well, and overall had an active and enjoyable experience. We can recommend without reservation. David & Jacqui Griffith

Guide was exceptional and a nice balance of information and energy.

Hadrian’s Wall has always intrigued me being a Northerner … Covid had met it’s match - so to speak. It did not deter Peter Sommer Travels. In spite of the obvious restrictions in force, our Tour went ahead! The company made life easier with patience and thoughtfulness and agility to get things sorted out. That was before we began! It was a superb trip… a world tour! I loved it!! We have been with Paul on another “Exploring tour”. He is an expert Historian, with a friendly style of imparting it.

We have travelled with Peter Sommer Travels on three previous occasions. They always take care in detailed planning, so, leaving it to their expertise, you have nothing to worry about.

It was touch and go. Would the Covid rules let us go? Sadly, they didn't allow the international folk to come. We were thus a small, privileged vanguard group of PST travellers, emerging after a long lock-down, and enjoying, for me, at 80, for the first time, the gorgeous Northumbrian countryside and these amazing remains of our island history. We've now had the same tour leader twice. His knowledge of his subject is encyclopaedic. Very nice hotel and excellent pub lunch venues, coping well with the Covid rules. You need to be reasonably fit and you might need walking poles, an umbrella and/or waterproofs. If you go by train (book advance first-class) from London to Carlisle and then across country, and back from Newcastle, there are fine views all the way.

We've been on three previous tours with Peter Sommer Travels. All, including this one, have been excellent. The planning - the chosen venues in terms of the daytime visits, the accommodation and meals, the lecturer/guide, and the transport have all worked well. The information supplied is helpful and timely. Not cheap, but what you get exceeds our expectations!

One week touring Harian's Wall with Peter Sommer Travels. Fabulous itinerary and excellent organisation by Peter Sommer Travels. Exquisite accomodation and a well thought out meal program at super local restaurants. Our lecturer , Paul Beston brought the history of the area to life. He is one of the best that you can have guiding you through anamazing landscape and history.

I have done many holidays with Peter Sommer Travels. First class all the way in all respects. It doesnt get any better than this!

Absolutely wonderful! Having visited Hadrian's Wall many years ago (as an archaeology student), I was delighted to see the new tourist centers and to learn the new interpretations. The folks at Peter Sommer Travels Ltd., knowing this, made a point of indicating those sites that would be of most interest for me (and had terrific recommendations for dining and drinking out). I'd always wanted to take my husband to see the Wall, and this was the perfect blend of Romano-Brisitsh history, archaeology, and British history. Yay!

Peter Sommer Travels Ltd. always does their best (and succeeds!) at pointing out things of interest to their diverse clientele. They also work hard to make sure everyone is comfortable. We've been on two other trips with this company before; the first was our introduction to Turkey, which was SPLENDID (and inspired my writing) and the second was to Wessex, which was also wonderful (I mean, c'mon--Stonehenge at dawn? Whoa!), and gave me even more fodder for my writing. Peter and his fellow guides are so well-versed in their history and archaeology and the local culture. It is always a treat to travel with them, and I heartily recommend their trips.

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Peter Sommer Travels provided an experience that could not be bettered on this trip. The group was small enough to be very personalized, and great care had been taken in arranging every detail. Our tour guide was one of the best I've had on any tour, not only extremely knowledgeable but genuinely enthusiastic and able to convey that enthusiasm to others. Each day was well planned, and I felt we saw and learned about all the key sites associated with Hadrian's Wall. There were no formal lectures, but detailed information was presented at each site where it was easier to put it in context. Obviously this is an active trip, but I appreciated the tour manager's ability to ensure an excellent experience for a few on the tour (myself included) who were less physically able. For example, rather than undertaking a strenuous morning walk in the rain, we were provided an alternative and easier morning by van and gentler walk. Much thought also went into ensuring a variety of dining experiences, including some great local pubs. One had the sense that supporting the local community is important to Peter Sommer Travels. I'd looked for the "right" tour for this particular trip for several years and I am very happy with what Peter Sommer Travels provided. I hope to travel with them again in future. All the details were managed so smoothly that we were able to fully concentrate on the tour and immerse ourselves in the Hadrian's Wall experience.

Please see above.

The tour included visiting important Roman British sites both on Hadrian's Wall and nearby as well as later historical sites in the area that were the successors to Roman rule. We hiked along a couple of sections of Hadrian's Wall which was great because it really put you in the shoes of Romans and local peoples back then and situated the history and the architecture in the landscape. Plus it was very pretty country to walk through. We had lovely lunches and dinners at local pubs, excellent beers, and we stayed at a former Castle. The group was a very manageable size and easy to travel with and fun to interact with. The days were very well planned and there was always a plan B for folks that might feel a walk would be too strenuous. I highly recommend this tour.

Peter Sommer Travels is top notch, I've traveled with other excellent tour operators and Peter Sommer Travels meets or exceed them in quality, service and content. Peter himself was our tour coordinator and he made sure everyone was very well taken care of, dealing with any issues seamlessly and making the whole tour feel effortless and stress free. Paul Beston was the expert tour guide and his fantastic story telling and encyclopedic knowledge of the sites and history across many hundreds of years is just amazing.

I chose a Peter Sommer Travel tour because I’ve always been drawn to learning about archaeology and history in England. It was through a random web search that I discovered their “Exploring Hadrian’s Wall” tour. I honestly cannot think of any way that it could have been better! This was the first time I’d tried an organized tour. Everything about it was seamlessly positive. Having Peter himself as co-leader was a delightful bonus. Paul was an inexhaustible source of knowledge and so patient with so many questions. What I liked most about this tour was the perfect blend of historical information/experience and the relaxing times at the many local pubs and restaurants. Peter’s logistic skills are exceptional. I appreciated the.fact that there was always flexibility built in to the tour so that you had options if something like a challenging hike might be too challenging. Our minibus driver Dave was another delight. Everything about this tour was in balance. Just the right blend of learning, local experiences, and relaxed guidance from the leaders. I highly recommend Peter Sommer Travels.

Both Peter and Paul did an excellent job. They were knowledgeable, flexible, patient, and helpful. The group atmosphere was fun and relaxed while still educational because of their personalities.

If someone had told me that climbing and sliding and crawling up and down hills and vales along the remaining stones of Hadrian's Wall on a rainy, misty morning would be one of my most memorable life experiences, I would have thought them crazy. But there I was, walking through history with each step. All the sites we visited on this tour, from Roman camps to medieval castles to monastic settlements, were brought to life by Paul, our guide, with his vast knowledge. And what a thrill to observe archaeological excavations in process. Our accommodation was first class, each meal provided us excellent food in an interesting location and the van trips took us through green countryside and old villages, all of importance within the context of understanding the long history of the area. This was truly one of the best travel experiences I have had in many years.

The tour developed a theme of discovery and preservation by highlighting not only the wall and its remains but the efforts of later visionaries, such as Armstrong, to preserve it. The commentary provided throughout by our guide was almost encyclopedic in nature and each site was carefully explained in detail. All details of the trip appeared to proceed smoothly and without problems, which is the mark of very carefully planning and excellent day by day management. Peter Sommer Travels is one of the best in the business in my opinion.

I was drawn into and explored (on wheels and on foot) a wonderful landscape I’d seen only in books and my imagination. In reality the landscape told many tales, signs of which are widespread but whose significance would have remained hidden had our guide, Paul Beston, not pointed out so much detail, explained it, put it in its local historical context and then into the broader context of the Roman and, later, Medieval world. The experience was delightfully enlightening and considerably deepened my word view.

Peter Sommer was the finest of hosts. He welcomed his guests, thoughtfully anticipated individual needs and abilities and made contingency plans to accomodate them, and he was interested in guests’ perspectives and feedback. The tour ran very smoothly because of his earlier research and because of his thoughtful anticipation of guests’ needs and wants. Peter also chose an excellent guide, Paul Beston, with whom he worked to ensure a great experience for guests.