Arbeia or South Shields, is not on Hadrian's Wall but is a supply base on the south side of the River Tyne from which Hadrian's Wall was supplied.

The fort lies on the south side of South Shields and when it began to be built over in 1875, Roman remains were discovered. The building ceased and the remains were laid out as "the People's Roman Remains Park". It has remained ever since as the proud flagship of South Shields, and thanks to the work of a dedicated team over the past twenty years, it has become extensively excavated with three very important reconstructed buildings.

The first of these was the West Gate, reconstructed in 1988 in the teeth of bitter opposition from English Heritage which doesn't believe in such reconstructions. Subsequently there have been two further reconstructions: about half of the very grandiose commandant's house and adjacent to it a barrack block for ordinary Roman soldiers, where one is half appalled by the cramped conditions in which they lived, and half admires the fact that the soldiers did indeed live in warm and dry accommodation.

Then there is the layout of the fort itself which consists of dozens of granaries to contain the corn supplies for much of Hadian's Wall. The details it must be said are confusing, even to archaeologists, but that is because it has been so extensively excavated in modern times. There is also a fine museum at the entrance and a large set of work rooms for the excavations that take place annually.

Kenwood house, on the northern fringes of Hampstead Heath, occupies a splendidly dramatic position looking south over superb gardens and beyond them Hampstead Heath and London. It was built, or rather rebuilt, by Robert Adams from 1764 – 79 for the great lawyer Lord Mansfield and the gardens were remodelled on the advice of Humphrey Repton.

The house remained in the family until 1920 when retrenchment was in the air, and they sold off the furniture at auction but the house itself was rescued by Lord Iveagh of the Guinness family, and on his death in 1928 he bequeathed it to the nation together with his superb collection of paintings and today it is essentially an art gallery ofhissuperb collection, which is particularly strong in 18th-century portraits by Gainsborough, Reynolds and Romney, but also sports a Rembrandt and a Vermeer. There is a superb catalogue by Julius Bryant which is priced at £50, but which is well worth buying for regular visitors.

Public transport is difficult. Come by underground to Golders Green or Hampstead and then by bus, or come by car – car parking is possible either at the house or often in the surrounding roads. Or do as we do and walk across the Heath, either from Hampstead Heath on the Overground or Belsize Park on the Underground. We can do it in 40 minutes, but reckon for an hour when you lose your way. Note is that the Heath is administered by the Corporation of London whereas Kenwood house and its gardens are in the care of English Heritage. Entrance is free thanks to the terms of the original bequest, but visiting hours are short — 11.30 to 4.30. There are refreshments in the former coach house.

If you come to the usual north entrance, note that this is a backside of the house, so before you go in, go first around to the south side and admire both the house and the garden. Then enter the house and admire the portraits and then go round the gardens seeing the false bridge at one end, and the Henry Moore statues at the other.