Newcastle (Pons Aelius)

Roman Pons Aelius was the bridge settlement on Hadrian's Wall. Today, Newcastle has an excellent wine bar scene in its historic Quayside district. Celebrate completing the wall quest with proper wine in a city the Romans founded.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Find the Roman Bridge Beneath the Tyne Bridge History · Free

   Roman Pons Aelius was the bridge settlement - the eastern anchor of Hadrian's Wall, where the bridge crossed the River Tyne for 300+ years. The modern Tyne Bridge (1928) echoes the curve of the Roman bridge foundations beneath it on Newcastle Quayside. Walk from the Tyne Bridge to Millennium Bridge, looking for interpretive panels about Pons Aelius. The Roman fort was where Newcastle Castle now stands (visible uphill), and wine arrived here by ship before traveling west to the garrisons.

   Backup: Newcastle Castle (£7 entry) has Roman artifacts and explains Pons Aelius history. The keep is medieval, but the site is Roman.

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2. 2 Celebrate Completing the Wall Quest Wine · Price: moderate

   You've walked Hadrian's Wall, read the Vindolanda tablets, toasted at milecastles - now you're in the city the Romans founded to anchor the Wall's eastern end. Newcastle's excellent modern wine scene on the Quayside (Pleased to Meet You, The Botanist, or Bacchus) offers English and international selections. Order a bottle of English sparkling (completing the British wine journey) OR a Mediterranean wine (honoring the Roman trade routes). Toast: "To the legionaries who drank here 1,900 years ago, and to finally having English wine worth flying 8,000 miles for."

   Backup: If Quayside is too crowded, central Newcastle has many wine bars (TripAdvisor "Newcastle wine bars" finds dozens). The LOCATION (Pons Aelius) matters most.

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3. 3 Pair Newcastle Brown Ale with Wine (Heresy Test) Adventure · Price: low · Optional

   Newcastle Brown Ale is iconic (brewed here since 1927), but Romans HATED beer - to them it was barbaric. Yet Newcastle was their city first, and modern Newcastle loves both beer AND wine. Order a half-pint of Newcastle Brown Ale plus a glass of wine (English sparkling or Mediterranean) at any pub serving both. Drink the beer first (Romans would have grimaced), then wine (civilized). Note: they're both good, just different - a lesson Romans never learned about dismissing beer as savage.

   Backup: Skip if you hate beer. The point is cultural: Romans dismissed beer as savage. Modern Britain embraced both. You can too.

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