Real Roman Tours
Real Roman Tours
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About
We provide guided historical tours by a 'Real Roman', Quintus Valerius Maximus, to the Antonine Wall and Hadrian's Wall. The Antonine Wall, which was made of turf, stretched over 37 miles across lowland Scotland from the River Forth in the east to the River Clyde in the West. The Wall was built by Emperor Antoninus Pius and formed the north-west frontier of The Roman Empire from around AD 142 - 160s. Due to popular demand we have decided to expand our range of tours down to Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain, begun in AD 122 during the rule of Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian's Wall extended west for 73 miles from Segedunum at Wallsend on the River Tyne, via Carlisle to the shore of the Solway Firth. We currently offer scheduled tours from April to September and a tailor-made tour option which is available all year round. We like to keep the groups small and personal and limit numbers to a maximum of six people for the full day tour and 20 for the walking tour. All tours will be conducted in English with some Latin terminology thrown in.
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5.0
81 reviews
Excellent
74
Very good
7
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AdamB
3 contributions
Sep 2020
Highly recommend! Douglas helped us for filming a Roman Soldier segment for an upcoming TV programme and I can't rate him highly enough. He honestly went above and beyond what we were expecting and we were very grateful to have had him on board. From providing authentic Roman armour to offering historical insight into the subject matter we were covering, he really brought with him the full package!
Written 15 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matthew Todd
Glasgow, UK3 contributions
May 2019 • Business
Douglas and Chris starred as Roman soldiers in our short film ‘Full Armour’, telling the story of a young Christian fugitive in 90AD.
Not only did they arrive in authentic costume and with a thoroughly professional attitude, they threw themselves into the roles wholeheartedly and gave 100% to make the film a success. In many ways, these were challenging roles with plenty of action and drama. The Romans worked brilliantly with a diverse cast and crew (including an 11 year old boy) and it was amazing to see them in action!
I cannot recommend ‘Real Roman Tours’ highly enough. Strength and honour!
Matthew Todd
Writer / director of ‘Full Armour’ 2019
Not only did they arrive in authentic costume and with a thoroughly professional attitude, they threw themselves into the roles wholeheartedly and gave 100% to make the film a success. In many ways, these were challenging roles with plenty of action and drama. The Romans worked brilliantly with a diverse cast and crew (including an 11 year old boy) and it was amazing to see them in action!
I cannot recommend ‘Real Roman Tours’ highly enough. Strength and honour!
Matthew Todd
Writer / director of ‘Full Armour’ 2019
Written 13 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen W
2 contributions
Nov 2018 • Business
Thank you to Douglas for bringing the Roman army to life for 90 P3 pupils. The pupils were fully engaged the whole time and couldn't stop talking about it.
Written 28 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary Ann K
San Francisco, CA3 contributions
Sep 2018 • Friends
Douglas guided us around Rough Fort, in Fallkirk, an easy 30 minute train ride from Edinburgh. This is the location of one of the forts along the Antonine Wall, the furthest north the Romans ever got, and they lasted there for only 20 years. It's remarkable how much you can see of a wall and fortifications made of turf 2000 years ago. With Douglas' expertise and story-telling abilities, we were able to imagine even more: the trade moving through gates in the wall, the barracks, the bathhouses, the camp followers -- and we saw the remains of the wall's defense -- the ditch and the pits. And we saw the line of the road the Romans built. Douglas was dressed in period costume, which at first we thought was merely charming, but later impressed us with its authenticity and many details of the kit. We were able to see how the weapons worked and how much a soldier would have carried; we saw their sandals, hygiene kit, their cookware, and hard tack. Douglas spent more than two hours with us; he listens well and is incredibly knowledgeable. We recommend this highly for people who want to take a trip with their imaginations through history while also taking a walk with a knowledgeable guide in lovely Scottish countryside.
Written 16 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kym B
Edinburgh, UK13 contributions
Mar 2018 • Family
Thank you for our school visit. Our primary 2s and 3s thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
The sessions were very interactive and engaging.
The children enjoyed learning about how to be a Roman soldier, how to march in formations, what armour and other equipment they have to carry and loved getting the chance to dress up and get their pictures taken.
We would thoroughly recommend Real Romans for a school visit to really make the Romans come alive for your kids!
The sessions were very interactive and engaging.
The children enjoyed learning about how to be a Roman soldier, how to march in formations, what armour and other equipment they have to carry and loved getting the chance to dress up and get their pictures taken.
We would thoroughly recommend Real Romans for a school visit to really make the Romans come alive for your kids!
Written 26 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jadeduncan2018
Livingston, UK1 contribution
Mar 2018 • Business
We booked Douglas to come to give two P3 classes a real life experience of what Roman Soldiers were like. The children were in the middle of learning about the Romans as part of their history topic. The children were in awe and engaged throughout the visit. The visit was very well tailored to the age and stage of the children. Douglas quickly caught the children's attention dressed in full Roman Soldier uniform. He described the uniform to the children and had props which all soldiers would of had. The children loved getting the opportunity to wear the Roman helmet and hold the shield! Douglas taught the children a variety of shield formations and how to go into battle. Thank you again for bringing learning to life for our children!
Written 23 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AJ R
2 contributions
Feb 2018 • Business
I booked Douglas to come into do a class experience with 23 P3/2 children who were in the middle of learning about the Romans as part of their history topic. I felt the visit was very well tailored to the age and stage of the children. Douglas very much caught the children's attention dressed in his full Roman Soldier gear. He pretended that he was there to recruit the children for the Roman Army. The children were recruited into the Roman army and had great fun taking part in the drills and shield formations. The highlight for my class was battling in two teams to capture a 'dead caesars head' as a trophy.
Written 20 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
628dc
Edinburgh, UK1 contribution
Dec 2017 • Business
I booked Douglas Eckhart to give a presentation to secondary pupils from S3 -S5. His knowledgeable introduction began with him busting into the room and taking over the pupils' attention. He is well equipped in both insight and kit to give pupils a good impression of the life of a Roman soldier in Britannia. Progressing on to the practical introduction to Roman drill, he rapidly and expertly brought the pupils up to speed so that they could engage in various moves and formations before, unfortunately, suffering decimation. Overall, Douglas is professional, clear and informative.
We shall be looking at ways to make use of him again soon.
We shall be looking at ways to make use of him again soon.
Written 18 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Quintus thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with a great group of pupils. We look forward to working with you in the future.
Written 19 December 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mstephen18
Edinburgh, UK2 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
I booked Douglas to come into do a class experience with 28 P4 children who were in the middle of learning about the Romans as part of their history topic. Douglas caught the children's attention from the moment he walked into the class dressed in full Roman Soldier gear. He pretended that he was there to recruit the children for the Roman Army. They loved it! The Roman marching drills were a particular highlight as was getting to try on the Roman helmet too. Engaging, exciting and a worthwhile learning experience.
Written 13 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to write us a review. Quintus very much enjoyed working with the children and bringing history to life. We do hope you will consider booking us again.
Written 14 June 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stephen C
2 contributions
Jun 2017 • Business
Douglas was demonstrating the Roman soldiers armour for a short video clip I was working on. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the period and is totally convincing as a soldier. As well as that he is a really pleasant person to work with having an engaging manner. I would highly recommend is tours and educational visits.
Written 12 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for the review Stephen. Quintus enjoyed working with you and we hope you will consider Real Roman Tours again for any further film work.
Written 14 June 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience