Five great car-free breaks across the UK

History & Accommodation, Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland

This year sees 12 months of celebrations to mark 1,900 years since Emperor Hadrian built his famous wall, so what better time to visit this ancient landmark.

The AD122 bus runs five times daily from Hexham station to Haltwhistle (both on the Newcastle-Carlisle railway) via sites of interest along from the wall. Stop at the Fort on the Tyne in Chesters, the Mithraic Temple of Brocolitia (free) or Housesteads with its communal latrines and studded Roman shoes (£10/£6). Or admire the golden November birches and blue lake at a former freestone quarry in Walltown. When it's too wintry to traverse moorland and slippery rock steps, use the bus to shuttle between these atmospheric locations and stay (weekends only except Christmas week) at Sill Youth Hostel (rooms en-suite from £49). /p>

In wet weather, the mostly tarred sections of Hadrian's Wall National Trail around Newcastle are a good bet, and are full of cafes and museums like Segedunum Roman Fort near Wallsend tube station (£5.95 adult). Here, an observation tower overlooks the outline of the fort, and maps of imperial power sit side by side with details of daily life: the dice Roman soldiers used to pass the time or the mark of a cat's paw on a coin. antique pottery.Trains to Newcastle take around an hour from York (from around £8) or 1.5 hours from Edinburgh (from £11, lner.co.uk). Trains from Newcastle to Hexham take around ½ hour (£7.80 return, northrailway.co.uk). A day ticket for the AD122 bus costs £12.50

Gardens and fat rascals, Harrogate, North Yorkshire