laxatl

In July I will be driving to Edinburgh to Durham and need to be able to do that in a day. I do want to stop along the way to see Alynwick castle and part of Hadrian's wall, perhaps near/in Newcastle. Is this too ambitious a drive for a day?

laxatl

oops. from Edinburgh to Durham. Guess I should have previewed prior to the post

janisj

The straight drive is maybe 3.5 hours w/o stops -- so yes, you'd have time for detours to both Alnwick and Hadrian's Wall. Alnwick is right on your route -- and you can drive 20 or 30 miles west along the wall and then back down to Durham.

Alec

It's around 140 miles, taking around 3 hours non-stop, so perfectly doable in a day. Alnwick is on A1, so an easy stopover, perhaps combined with lunch. For Hadrian's Wall, I suggest you leave A1 where it joins A69 in Newcastle and head west, leaving for B6318 at Heddon-on-the-Wall which follows the course the Wall. Good place to stop is the fort at Chesters. The best preserved section of the Wall is west of here towards Haltwistle, but that may be taken you too far out of the way. Return to A1 via A69. Allow extra time to cross Newcastle, as traffic gets busy during rush hour (typically 4-6 pm weekdays).

janisj

"Return to A1 via A69. Allow extra time to cross Newcastle, . . . "

I personally wouldn't go back through Newcastle enroute from the Wall to Durham. I'd take the A68 / A691 - avoids the Newcastle traffic and less backtracking.

laxatl

great. Just what I was hoping to hear. Does anyone know of a good pub near Alynwck for lunch?

alanRow

Is that Alnwick just off the A1 or Anick just off the A69?

janisj

I'd assume Alnwick -- for the castle . . . .

janisj

Meant to add - if you just want a quick lunch, there is a casual/outdoor cafe in the castle

laxatl

Yes, the castle. Thanks very much

Gordon_R

And since you still have trouble spelling it, you might also be interested to know that Alnwick is pronounced "Annick".