A lovely pub lunch & a trip to Corbridge Roman Town with kids

Last weekend, we decided to rejoin English Heritage. We've been members on and off over the past 10 years and decided it was time to rejoin. We're planning a couple of UK road trips next year and being English Heritage members will hopefully allow us to visit plenty of castles and historical sites along the way. It's £99 per year for a family to join and if you pay by annual direct debit you'll receive 3 months free. 

There are lots of fabulous English Heritage properties across North East England - Hadrian's Wall, Lindisfarne Priory, Dunstanburgh Castle, Warkworth Castle, Tynemouth Priory and Belsay Hall being the most popular and we're looking forward to re-visiting these sites as well as exploring a lot more of the UK too.

We're a family who love learning about history so English Heritage is perfect for us - H, H and J are keen learners and are the type of kids who love reading information plaques and visiting museums. English Heritage sites are well-known for putting on fantastic events over peak weekends and school holidays and in the past we've enjoyed enrolling in Roman Army School, taking part in Birdoswald Kite Festival, watching re-enactments at Warkworth Castle and full-scale battles at Belsay Castle. I'm going to make sure I have access to our car more in the school holidays next year and will definitely attend a few of these events so expect more English Heritage reviews across the year.

I hear a lot of people moan that English Heritage sites aren't for them as there don't tend to be playgrounds like you get with National Trust. I would honestly urge you tro try it though and see how your kids like it. H, H and J absolutely love exploring historical sites and really enjoy making up their own games. During our trip to Corbridge Roman Town they hid amongst the various ruins and pretended to be Roman Soldiers in the barracks or going shopping in the olden days - all with no involvement from us. It really does wonders for their imagination and is a fab way to get some fresh air and bring history to life. In fact they were having so much fun that when it was time to go, they didn't want to leave.

Corbridge Roman Town is somewhere we'd never visited before but had been on our list for ages. Most of the Hadrian's Wall sites we've visited in the past have been fortresses so it was nice to experience a bit of Roman history from a different perspective. At this site you get to walk down a Roman High Street and imagine the hustle and bustle of a Roman town.

You can borrow audio guides which Steve and I are going to do next time or read the information signs dotted about the site. We learned that Corbridge was home to many talented craftsmen and you can see some of the artefacts in the attached (small) museum. The talented bunch were known for their pottery and jewellery. You'll also get to see and learn about The Corbridge Hoard which is a 2000 year old Roman time capsule and one of the most significant finds in Roman History. The hoard was buried in an iron-bound, leather-covered chest and considering it's age, is in excellent condition. The hoard includes armour, writing tablet, tools and weaponry.

The museum at Corbridge Roman Town is small but interesting. We learned about the Corbridge Hoard and a special Roman Lion statue too. The signs and information points are all bitesize so it's easy to work your way around with kids and it doesn't feel like you have to absorb loads of information to get a feel for the site.

The views of Corbridge and beyond are lovely here and even if you're not interested in Roman History it's a nice place for a stroll with a view. You can take a picnic (picnic tables are available) and dogs on leads are welcome. There's no cafe on site but the museum shop does sell ice creams, snacks and cold drinks.

Days out with 12 year olds without spending a fortune are tricky but exploring English Heritage sites works for us and I'm hoping that buying membership again will encourage Harry to enjoy walks and days out. He's inquisitive and a keen learner so I'm sure it will.

We spent around one hour walking around Corbridge Roman Town and museum - it's one of those spots where you could whizz around in 20 minutes or really take your time and spend half a day here. We all really enjoyed it and I'm pleased to report that the kids were enjoying their made up Roman games so much that there was no fighting. Yes!

You can actually walk into Corbridge from the Roman Town (just under 1 mile) but we decided to take the car. We popped into The Black Bull for lunch and really loved it and would recommend to other families visiting the area.

The children's menu offered excellent value with two courses and a drink being available from £5.50.

It was busy when we turned up at around 12:20pm so I'd recommend booking a table in advance if you can (although I tried doing this online and didn't receive confirmation so don't actually know if the online system is working - giving them a ring is probably best).

The Black Bull isn't what I'd call a gastropub but it's certainly a step up from your local Sizzler. We loved it for the very warm and welcoming staff, the fantastic value on offer and the homely atmosphere. With pumpkins decorating the bar, roaring fires and autumnal flower displays, it was a lovely place to spend an hour or so.

I ordered the hunter's chicken and Steve the steak pie (both £9.99). This pub is part of a chain and I have a feeling their food is probably bought in rather than made 100% from scratch but it's definitely at the higher end of the scale. We both enjoyed our lunch and the portions were pretty good. You get what you pay for and our lunch of 2 main courses, a large glass of wine, a pint of local ale, 3 kids meals, drinks and desserts was only £46 which is excellent.

Onto the kids meals and H, H and J loved them all. Their only grumble was that I wouldn't let them have Pepsi as it wasn't included in the meal deal (it's Capri Sun or Apple Juice). Jack's fish and chips was the best value meal I feel as his portion was pretty big.

Between mains and dessert, the kids were given one of those Bear YoYo Strawberry snacks which was appreciated as it stopped them asking where their puddings were 500 times in a row.

The kids were happy with their desserts and it was nice to see something other than plain ice cream included in the meal deal.

Strolling around Corbridge after our meal and you couldn't help but think that the town had continued their flair for crafts and workmanship since the Roman times and it's still very evident today. Most of the shops in Corbridge are independent and seem to be thriving. It's such a lush place to shop, treat yourself or buy some gifts. Browsing beautiful shops isn't my children's idea of fun and I find visiting shops like this to be too stressful when they're in tow so now they're old enough, we tend to leave them outside while Steve and I nip in for a quick browse. We bribed them with some of these fantastic ghosts from Grant's Bakery and they were happy enough. Days out for us all aren't ALL about the kids - I feel like there does have to be some kind of compromise.

As well as the meringue ghosts, we bought a fantastic Victoria Sandwich cake and a loaf of bread from the bakery and treated ourselves to some new cookware from Corbridge Cookware. The prices were actually really good and not as expensive as you'd expect for an affluent town. My other favourite shops in Corbridge include Finale Shoes for gorgeous shoes, boots and bags (look out for their fabulous window displays), RE for unique homeware and Forum Books which is a fantastic independent bookshop for grown-ups and kids. They often run family events in store too - keep an eye on their Facebook page for details.

Off-street parking was available in Corbridge town centre for £1.30 for 3 hours and there's a small car park too. It does get busy in the summer but we managed to find a space no problem in October. We really enjoyed our day out in Corbridge and it featured lots of our favourite things to do - walking, the great outdoors, Roman history, a pub lunch and supporting independent retailers from the North. What a lush way to spend a Saturday.

Have you visited Corbridge recently? Let me know your favourite spots....

Disclosure - We paid for our own day out/membership/lunch.

Pin Me For Later