Days out - Hadrian's Wall, Sycamore Gap and Derwent Reservoir

I thought I'd do a more detailed post on our day out yesterday in case you read this and fancy going along. We had such a lovely day, the scenery was just perfect and it's always nice to be out and about in the fresh air on a warm sunny day.

Sycamore Gap

The huge solitary sycamore tree, made famous by its appearance in the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, stands in a small valley along Hadrian's Wall. We parked in Steel Rigg car park, just a little further up the road from Vindolanda Roman fort. A word of warning though, it's £4 to park which is pretty steep when you're only staying for an hour or two like we were. The tickets do last all day though and they are transferable to any of the Hadrian's Wall car parks.

 We were a little confused about where Sycamore Gap actually was, so hopefully these directions will help. 

As you exit the car park from the gate you walk down a steep grassy bank and in front of you is this...

 Unfortunately you need to climb up this massive hill to get to the wall and all you need to do then is follow it along for about half a mile. After you reach Milecastle 39 (if you have a map) you will see the tree straight away in the next valley. I was afraid we'd miss it or be looking out for trees all the way, but you won't, it's breathtakingly beautiful.

If you'd prefer not to be going up and down the hills alongside the wall, you can cut across the grass to your right and join the path down there which is pretty flat. We found this a lot easier with me carrying a 23lb baby in a sling! That path will also lead you to the tree. If in doubt, just ask other walkers coming in the opposite direction. We were worried we were going the wrong way but asked an old couple who assured us that it was just over the next hill. Like I say, it's not just some little tree that you might miss.

Derwent Reservoir

I'd never been to the reservoir but had heard it was a pretty place for a walk. There are car parks all the way around and we just followed signs from the A68  main road which is about 2 miles away. There were public toilets and lots of picnic benches and it was just so peaceful down there. The late afternoon sky was stunningly beautiful and we enjoyed a wander while the dogs swam in the water. We will definitely be back for a longer visit, the actual reservoir is huge and there seem to be lots of forest paths to explore too.