viking tours of england

A guide to the best Viking attractions in the UK

When the Vikings first reached Britain, they were far from well-mannered. But once the plundering and pillaging settled down a tad, the Vikings made Britain their home, changing the island nation’s culture and language forever.

So, what happened to the Vikings? And how did they manage to settle our lands? If you want to find out, we suggest visiting these top Viking attractions in the UK .

Jorvik Viking Centre, York

Jorvik (the name given to York by the Vikings) was the Viking capital of England during the Dark Ages. At the Jorvik Viking Centre, you can watch animatronic Viking hunters, fishermen and traders go about their daily lives while you ride through a village on a small carriage with speakers.

After you’ve heard the stories of the life-size Vikings, head up to the Jorvik Artefact Gallery to see over 40,000 Viking objects and 250,000 pieces of pottery. Don’t forget to check out the underground vault, where you can see the remains of a Viking hearth and segments of the ancient wall.

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The British Museum, London

The British Museum is the best place in the Capital to learn about Viking life. This grand museum contains a vast collection of Viking artefacts. In addition to its collections, which include the famous Lewis Chessmen, you can marvel at a genuine Viking longboat and a Sutton Hoo helmet.

At the British Museum, you can also learn about the Egyptians, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. Want to make the most of your visit to the museum? Take a look at our Highlights of the British Museum tour.

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Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland

History buffs may know the Vikings first landed on Holy Island when they crossed the North Sea to Britain. When they arrived, they sacked a Christian monastery, ‘got rid of’ the monks and stole all the treasure. Not the best start, but the Vikings certainly left their mark.

Today, you can visit the remains of the monastery, Lindisfarne Priory , and see depictions of the raid as well as learn about life on the island before the Viking invasion. Notable artefacts include the Viking Domesday Stone and the Lindisfarne Gospel.

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National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Want to learn about the way of the Viking warrior? At the National Museum of Scotland , you can not only browse a vast selection of Viking artefacts and weapons but also attend a Viking training school, watch a Viking show, and get your hands on some genuine Viking objects.

As you may know, the Vikings had a soft spot for pillaging and plundering. But they didn’t always take their treasure back to Scandinavia. One of the largest hoards of over 100 pieces of gold and silver was found near the Church of Scotland in 2014. You can see this collection, known as the Galloway Hoard, inside the museum.

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House of Manannan, Isle of Man

The House of Manannan uses famous characters, reconstructions and even smells to recreate life during the Viking settlement of the Isle of Man. Here, you can learn about the amazing stone crosses that are dotted around the island. You can also join the crew of a Viking longship to reimagine the daring quests across the North Sea.

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Ancient Technology Centre, Dorset

Head to the Ancient Technology Centre in Dorset to experience life as a Viking. You’ll stay in a reconstructed longhouse while wearing Viking dresses, tunics and belts, completing tasks such as making fences, churning butter and tending to livestock. You’ll even eat Viking meals and play the same games as our Nordic ancestors. If you really want to dive into the world of the Vikings, this place is a must-visit.

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For more historical experiences across the UK, make sure you check out our range of fascinating Small Group Tours . They’re the best way to learn all about the high points of British cultural history.

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Best Viking sites UK to visit: Viking Invasion of England

The world has been obsessed with Vikings long before the HBO TV Series The Vikings and exploring the history of Vikings by amateurs and professionals in the UK has long turned up hoards of silver and artefacts including coins, jewellery, swords and shields.

The Viking Age in the UK lasted from around 800-1150 AD and the first invasion was the monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumberland in 793. The first written tale of the Viking invasion of the British Isles was in Portland, Dorset in 789. The last Vikings invaded the UK after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when the Norman Invasion began by William the Conqueror who became King of England.

Obviously, ancient Viking ruins are relatively rare in Britain as the compounds and villages would have been dominantly built from wood and materials that melt away over the centuries, but many an amateur with a metal detector has turned up significant Viking UK finds.

Map of Viking Settlements in UK

When was the first viking raid in the uk, vikings in britain locations, the danelaw uk, harald hardrada, vikings in england, lindisfarne priory – northumberland, jorvik viking centre – viking museum in york, yorkshire museum – york, house of manannan – isle of man, the dock museum – barrow in furness cumbria, silverdale hoard – lancashire, ancient technology centre – dorset, british museum – london, the ashmolean museum – oxford, viking burial ground derbyshire – the repton warrior, norwich castle museum, the hugin viking longship – kent, the lewis chessmen – isle of lewis, underhoull – unst shetland islands, skidbladner replica longship – haroldswick, dim riv – lerwick shetland, jarlshof – shetland, up helly aa – lerwick, old scatness – shetland, national museum of scotland – edinburgh, llanbedrgoch – anglesey, viking settlements & colonies in wales, rathlin island, viking invasion of britain.

The Viking age in Britain lasted from approximately 800 to 1150 AD.

Historians tend to disagree about the origin of the word “Viking”. Anglo-Saxons called them many names including Northmen, Norsemen, Danes and more picturesque names like sea-rovers, sea wolves or simply the heathen.

Viking as a word actually comes from an old Norse word Vik which means inlet or vikja which means to move quickly.

The Viking influence on Britain was immense as we incorporated their names for the days of the week from the Norse gods – Thor = Thursday, Odin = Wednesday, Tuesday from Tiw or Tyr and so on. The Vikings also gave us words such as fog, bread, steak and even egg.

A short history of the Viking invasion of England  

It was believed that the Viking invasion began in England in the late 8th century, primarily on monasteries. The first Viking raid was at the monastery on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in 793, off the northeast coast, and the first recorded Viking attack was at Portland, Dorset in 787.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , the Viking invasion of England began in 787 when three ships landed at Portland Dorset. The King’s man Beaduheard, went out to meet these traders (which he assumed they were). Beaduheard attempted to bring them to the King’s town which was the custom but the Vikings killed him and his guards.

The first Viking raid on a monastery took place in 793. The Vikings landed on the holy island of Lindisfarne and from there regular raids were conducted around the British Isles by the Vikings. Monasteries were often a target due to the precious items kept within them. The Vikings plundered for gold, and silver including crucifixes, chalices, bowls and cups.

Two years later, Viking raids struck the undefended island monasteries of Skye and Iona in the Hebrides, Scotland as well as Rathlin Island off the northeast coast of Ireland.

Over time these Viking raiders began to set up camps and then settled on the land seized to build farming communities. In the north of Britain, the Vikings settled in Orkney, the Hebrides and Shetland and all along the north and northwest coast of Scotland. 

The Vikings moved west and took over the Isle of Man and went on to found Dublin , Cork , Limerick and Waterford .

In 842 AD London was attacked by the Vikings and again in 851. It was Alfred the Great who forced the Vikings into a peace treaty in 886 when he battled them at Edington and won. The treaty agreed upon divided England between the Vikings and the English and the Viking territory became known as the Danelaw.

In England, the Vikings took East Anglia, Northumbria and parts of Mercia. In 866 they captured York and made it their capital naming it Jorvik.

The Danelaw was made up of the northwest, the northeast and east of England. It wasn’t until 937 that King Athelstan claimed victory at the Battle of Brunaburch when Eirik Bloodaxe the last Viking King of York was killed and the English earls reclaimed the Kingdom.

The Viking army did not stop their raids and made regular incursions into Britain and actually had four kings between 1013 and 1042. King Cnut, was the most famous of Vikings in England he was king of Denmark as well as of England. Cnut was a Christian and he recognized Anglo-Saxon law and customs but he died at the age of 39 and his kingdom fell into disarray by 1035.

In 1066 the Viking Harald Hardrada sailed up the Humber in an attempt seize the English throne but he was defeated in battle by King Harold at the battle at Stamford Bridge. Hardrada thought he could take over England during the succession dispute which followed the death of Edward the Confessor.

Hardrada was killed in this battle along with his great heathen army and Immediately after King Harold defeated the Norse he had to turn to Kent and the Battle for control of England by the Normans at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 which is depicted on the  world-famous Bayeux Tapestry. At the end of the battle, Harold was dead and William the Conqueror was the King of England. William himself was descended from the Viking Rollo who had invaded Normandy in Northern France in 911. Hardrada’s invasion and defeat has been described as the end of the Viking Age in Britain.

These are the best places to marvel at Viking artefacts and discover the treasures, terrors and influence they had on Britain. The Viking settlers in the British Isles left remains of their material culture behind, which archaeologists have been able to excavate and interpret during the 20th and 21st centuries.

24 Viking settlements UK

The history of the Vikings in England begins with the invasion of Vikings to the holy island of Lindisfarne and its famous Priory.

Lindisfarne was the site of the first recorded Viking raids on British soil and the beginning of the Viking invasion of Britain and should be your first stop on a Viking discovery journey.

In 635AD Saint, Aidan came from Iona and chose to found his monastery on the island of Lindisfarne. The first recorded Viking attack in history took place on Lindisfarne in 793a.d.

You cross the dramatic causeway to reach the island of Lindisfarne, keeping an eye on the tides, and you can follow in the footsteps of the ancient monks who built their priory here nearly 1,400 years ago.  A visit to the fascinating museum where you can find out about a grisly Viking raid, the cult of St Cuthbert, and the beautiful medieval manuscript: the Lindisfarne Gospels.

You will also find items including the grave markers in both letters and runes as well as one, known as the Viking Domesday Stone, which shows several men brandishing weapons.

In the 1970s a re-development was planned at Coppergate York one of the city’s medieval streets where a small dig had already highlighted massive archaeological potential.

Within a few days of the redevelopment work traces of the first Viking village in England. Viking buildings and artefacts began to be uncovered and a substantial excavation was set up.  In 1976 a team of both professional and amateur archaeologists began to dig and for the next 4 years, they unearthed an enormous find of over 40,000 artefacts from Coppergate.

The teams found rare traces of Viking buildings, tons of animal bones, and thousands of pieces of Roman and Medieval items. The Jorvik Viking Centre is much more than a simple museum display. The centre takes you back to the eighth century to bring history alive with a ride that takes you through ancient Viking age Britain with animatronic Viking traders, hunters, village folk and more.

The Centre is built on a key part of the original Jorvik city and you will travel 6 metres underground to discover the remains of the walls of the historic city. With the use of modern touchscreens and films projected onto the walls, you can see the discoveries of the archaeologists of the 1970s.

The Yorkshire Museum is home to one of the greatest Viking discoveries The Vale of York Viking Hoard. Discovered in 2007 by metal detectorists the Hoard contains 617 coins, 67 gold and silver artefacts including an extremely rare gold arm-ring.

On the Isle of Man, you have to see the House of Manannan in Peel which uses reconstructions, characters, sights and smells to demonstrate how Celtic and Viking cultures merged together on the Island.

There is a life-size reconstruction of a Celtic roundhouse a replica of a Viking longship Odin’s Raven and replicas of the stone crosses that cover the island. Visit a replica Viking longhouse from Cronk ny Merriu an outpost from the edges of the Island.

The Dock Museum contains a huge collection of Viking treasures called the Furness Hoard that was discovered in 2011.

The Hoard is the largest collection of Viking treasures ever found in the area and consists of 92 silver coins, arm rings and many ingots and artefacts such as swords, weights and a spindle whorl.  

The Silverdale Hoard is a collection of over 200 pieces of silver jewellery and coins discovered near Silverdale, Lancashire, England, in September 2011. Valued at £110,000, the collection, found in a field near Silverdale by a metal detectorist, is one of the largest Viking hoards ever discovered in the UK, and is believed to date to around 900AD.

Items include 27 coins, 10 arm rings, 2 finger-rings, 14 ingots, 6 brooch fragments, a fine wire braid and 141 fragments of arm rings and ingots which had been chopped up and turned into “hack silver”, which were used as a form of currency in Viking times.

The Ancient Technology Centre gives visitors a chance to stay overnight in a Viking longhouse where you can spend the day in authentic Viking garb making fences, tending to the animals, and doing the ancient chores of a Viking. The Centre’s 26-metre, bow-sided Viking longhouse, is constructed with traditional materials and techniques to provide a truly immersive experience.

The learning centre teaches visitors about the techniques and technologies that went into ancient house building.

The Cuerdale Hoard was discovered in 1840 in Lancashire by a workman repairing an embankment of the River Ribble near Preston. The hoard of silver is considered the largest Viking hoard ever found.  

The Cuerdale Hoard contained over 7000 coins and 30 kg of bullion and was thought to have been buried around 905AD. Theories around its contents suggest that perhaps it was a war chest collected by Vikings who had been expelled from Dublin which was linked by the Ribble Valley a route between the Irish Sea and Viking York.

The Watlington Hoard was found by an amateur metal detectorist in a farmer’s field in Watlington, Oxfordshire in 2015. It contains 186 coins,15 ingots and seven pieces of jewellery, and is thought to date to sometime after the battle of Edington in 878AD which Alfred the Great won over the Vikings. You can see the hoard at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

The most remarkable find is the ‘Two Emperors’ penny, of which there are 13 examples. The coins depict two emperors (thought to be Alfred the Great and the lesser-known Ceolwulf, the last king of Mercia) ruling side-by-side.  

The body of the Repton Viking Warrior was found in the 1980s and is probably the best-known Viking burial in England. The ninth-century warrior was found with a cut to his leg which apparently also damaged or cut off his privates. The Warrior was found side-by-side with a younger man in the village of Repton.

Recent DNA analysis has revealed that the pair were first-degree relatives, which gives legitimacy to the theory that the warriors were leaders or Viking royalty in the area. The area also revealed 264 other Viking warriors in the burial ground which archaeologists are now certain that was from the first large-scale invasion of England by the Vikings.

Viking weaponry and artefacts on-site were also found on-site and they include a number of knives, 5 silver coins and an axe. You will find these artefacts on display at the Derby Museum in Repton, Derbyshire.

The Norwich Castle Museum houses one of the largest and best collections of Anglo-Saxon and Viking materials in the UK including Britain’s largest collection of Thor’s hammers, numerous types of Viking brooches, swords, ingots, weights and all sorts of other materials.

The Vikings travelled from their Scandinavian homelands aboard great wooden longships. In 1949, a Danish-built replica sailed to England, where it was left as a gift from the Danish government to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the legendary arrival of the Jutes Hengist and Horsa to Britain’s shores.

The longship, named Hugin after one of Odin’s ravens, is now stationed on dry land in Ramsgate, Kent.

Vikings in Scotland

The Viking invasion of Britain also involved raids and attacks on Scotland. Scotland’s history of Vikings is a rich thousand-year story when the first Norsemen crossed the seas from Norway during the eighth century and landed on the Northern isles.

The Norsemen first crossed the sea from Norway in the eighth century, and quickly settled throughout Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides,  the Firth of Clyde and in the Northern mainland Caithness.

This medieval chess set was discovered in the sand dunes of the Isle of Lewis in the outer Hebrides in 1831. Today, 82 pieces are owned and exhibited by the British Museum in London, and the remaining 11 are at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

This is a medieval chess set that is thought to be from at least four different sets and is believed to have been made in the 12th century in Norway but nobody knows for sure.

The set is carved from walrus ivory and whale teeth but does not date to the Viking period. The set of chess pieces includes a rook in the shape of a Viking berserker the legendary Viking warrior who was associated with Odin.

Perhaps the set was carved to honour the Viking ancestors of the Scottish people in the North. Viking genetics are according to DNA research is widespread in Northern Scotland – 29.2 per cent of descendants in Shetland have the DNA, 25.2 per cent in Orkney and 17.5 per cent in Caithness but the percentage drops as low as 9 per cent in the South-west of Scotland.

Unst is large and is one of the furthest east and the most northerly of the Shetland Islands and it is believed that this is where the Vikings first landed.

Unst is one of the richest Viking heritage sites in Europe, with over 60 longhouses you can visit that were uncovered by archaeologists at Underhoull, Belmont and Hamar. At Underhoull there are the remains of Viking longhouses which were excavated in 1960 and again in 1980.

 In Haroldswick, a sheltered bay on the east side of the island which is believed to have been named after King Harald Fairhair there is a replica Viking longship called the Skidbladner. The replica is of a longship found in Norway in a burial mound.

Skidbladner has massive oars and a beautifully carved figurehead. A set of wooden stairs allows visitors to climb on board the longship easily. Living history demonstrations take place onboard to enhance the visitor experience.

The Skidbladner now sits alongside the re-constructed longhouse as a permanent visitor experience. The aim is to provide seasonal events and activities around both fixtures during the summer months.

Over forty years ago, a replica Viking longship was built, called the Dim Riv and it is a focal point of the waterfront in Lerwick. Run and crewed by volunteers you can take a trip around the harbour on the ship in the summer months.

Jarlshof is a Norse settlement in Shetland where the Vikings came in the ninth century. The Norse longhouse excavated here was the first of its kind found in the UK.

The site was found in the 1890s when storms tore open the low cliffs and revealed the settlement which contained over 4000 years of human history.

When excavation began the site contained late Neolithic houses, a Bronze-Age village, Iron-Age broch and wheelhouses, a Norse longhouse, a medieval farmstead, and a 16th-century laird’s house. The excavations also produced a wonderful array of artefacts. Jarlshof are all being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Designation

Up Helly Aa is a Viking fire festival held in the Shetland Isles each year. Created in the Victorian era the Festival lasts for 24 hours and is held on the last Tuesday of January every year.

This Scottish Viking wild party is, run entirely by volunteers, lasts just one day and night and is organized by thousands. Much of the preparation is in strictest secrecy. The biggest secret of all is what the head of the festival, the ‘Guizer Jarl’ who represents the Viking chief, will wear and which character from the Norse Sagas he’ll represent.

In Lerwick, around 1,000 men descend on the streets in fantastic costumes. They all wore Viking costumes and only men have been allowed to take part.

Given that recent research has uncovered evidence of female Viking warriors, and that the Norse Sagas (characters from which the Jarls embody) feature prominent women, the event’s exclusionary custom seems to better reflect the values of the Victorian era from which it emerged.

There are Up Helly Aa celebrations from Sumburgh in the South Mainland to Norwick in Unst most of which are far more inclusive than Lerwick’s.

In the 1970s Old Scatness was discovered by workers building an airport road. The site has turned up a number of Viking Artifacts and is now being considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Years of excavation revealed an Iron Age broch (house), and a post-broch village built around it.  Five Pictish (later Iron Age) structures were built into the top of this Middle Iron Age village, some of which have now been removed.

On top of the excavated Pictish buildings, Viking soapstone artefacts and the remains of a Viking floor and hearth indicated that occupation continued into the Norse period. Old Scatness, therefore, provides archaeologists with a rare opportunity to understand the elusive Pictish-Viking transition in Shetland.

The National Museum in Edinburgh contains a vast selection of Viking artefacts including the Galloway Hoard. This hoard contained over 100 pieces of gold and silver and was found near the Church of Scotland land at Balmaghie in Kirkcudbrightshire in 2014 by a metal detectorist.

Alongside over five kilograms of silver bullion, composed of arm rings and ingots, the Hoard includes the largest and most varied collection of Viking-age gold objects known from Britain and Ireland.

Some of the unusual objects found include a silver pendant cross; a unique gold bird-shaped pin; a decorated silver-gilt lidded vessel; a large collection of Anglo-Saxon metalwork with two examples of an entirely new type of Anglo-Saxon cross-shaped brooch and unique multi-hinged straps; three golden jewels often referred to as ‘aestels’, in a silken-cord bundle; and a gold-mounted rock-crystal flask or jar contained in a silk-lined pouch.

Iona is a tiny island off the southwest coast of Mull in the Inner Hebrides and the Irish monk Columba established an Abbey here. The churches and monasteries within its grounds became tempting targets for Viking raiders, resulting in several attacks coming from the Viking longships.

The first assault on Iona Abbey occurred in 795, followed by subsequent raids in 802, 806, and 825. During the devastating Viking attack in 806, a tragic event took place in Martyrs’ Bay, where 68 monks were mercilessly slaughtered. Consequently, many of the surviving monks relocated to a new religious center called the Abbey of Kells in Ireland.

Adomnán, the Abbot of Iona, who died in 704, mentioned the presence of similar freestanding wooden crosses encircled by rings, which were later replaced with stone versions. Presently, the remains of four stone “high crosses” can be found on Iona, dedicated to St. Martin, St. Matthew, St. John, and St. Oran. Among them, St. Martin’s Cross, crafted between 750 and 800, remains intact and in its original location. Nearby stands a replica of St. John’s Cross, while the original, along with the reconstructed St. Oran’s Cross and St. Matthew’s Cross, is exhibited in the Museum within the abbey.

Vikings in Wales

Over the years historians and archaeologists have debated whether or not the Viking invasion of Britain included Wales . Vikings did come to Wales and there is some evidence that Vikings were in Wales thanks to a number of Scandinavian place names such as two small islands of the coast of South Wales Ramsey and  Skomer .

In North Wales , the names Anglesey and Bardsey are Norse based. This does not indicate settlements but might just be trading areas.

The recent excavation of a site at Llanbedrgoch on Anglesey was expanded significantly in the ninth and tenth centuries, including the construction of a wall enclosing the site in the second half of the ninth century, possibly reflecting a concern with Viking raids.

Archaeologists have excavated several objects that may be of Viking origin such as arm rings but they also found a number of objects including Anglo-Saxon pennies and a glass bead. Again this could possibly mean that Llanbedrgoch was simply a trading post but historians believe that given the number of objects found it is possible this was a Viking settlement.

Although Wales did not experience significant Viking settlement the country did experience constant raids from the Norsemen of Dublin and Waterford.

Large-scale settlement by the Vikings in Wales was prevented by Kings like Rhodri the Great and Hywel the Good who fought off the invasion of the Vikings from 844 to 950 AD.

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Historians and archaeologists widely agree that there were colonies on both sides of the Milford haven fjord. It is widely accepted that a colony of Scandinavians settled on both sides of the great fjord of Milford Haven in South Pembrokeshire .

There may also have been a Norse colony in Gower, and another Scandinavian settlement in Wales was situated in the low-lying coastal plain between Neath, Cardiff, and Newport, which was a part of the kingdoms of Morgannwg and Gwent. These settlements have uncovered no finds but the names recorded were definitively Scandinavian.

Vikings in Northern Ireland

Larne, on the Causeway Coast , was known in Old Norse as Ulfreksfjordr. Larne is a coastal seaport and in the 10th-11th centuries was a centre of Viking activity. Several Viking burial sites and artefacts were found in this area that could be dated to that particular time period. Snorri Sturluson mentions Ulfreksfjordr in his  Heimskringla  as the place where the king of Ireland, Connor, defeated the Orkney Vikings under the leadership of earl Einar in battle in 1018.

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Rathlin Island was the first recorded site of a Viking raid in Ireland in 795, according to the Annals of Ulster . The church on the island was plundered and burned. Overlooking Church Bay you will see a Viking standing Stone which marks a Viking graveyard that was excavated in 1784.

Each grave was formed from slabs of stone and then covered with a flat stone to mark the grave. A large silver penannular brooch was found in the grave marked with the standing stone. This Rathlin Brooch as it is called was probably made by a Viking in the late 9th century. You can see the brooch in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

There are probably dozens more Viking UK sites that remain to be discovered. Many of these sites turn up when construction takes place in major Viking raiding locations but it also seems to be a great hobby for metal detectorists to attempt to find a Viking hoard. British Vikings that stayed and settled all over the UK integrated into the local communities and many became Christian but maintained links to their heritage.

The genetic legacy of the Viking Age lives on today with six per cent of people of the UK population predicted to have Viking DNA in their genes compared to 10 per cent in Sweden.

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Faith was born in Ireland raised in Canada and has lived in over 10 countries in Europe including England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, Northern Ireland, Wales, along with Mexico, Antigua, the US and has slow travelled to over 40 countries around the world. Graduating with a degree in Anthropology and Women's Studies Faith is a student of history, culture, community and food and has written about these topics for over 40 years.

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Vikings in Britain; small group tour

Vikings in Britain, escorted educational small group tour for senior couples and mature solo travellers who for 27 days explore Ireland, the isle of Man, Scotland and England and the viking history.

From $13,298 USD

Departing Jun, Sep, May, Aug

• 1. Explore and learn about the Vikings in Orkney and Shetland
• 2. Visit key places in Ireland
• 3. Visit relevany museums and galleries in Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and England to develop understanding of the Vilkings.
• 4. Visit Sutton Hoo and the longship. The treasure/loot is in the British museum also visited.
• Departure Dates

For senior couples and mature solo travellers this is a 27 day educational small group tour that takes the traveller to important Viking locations and museums in Ireland, the Isle on Man, England as well as the Orkney and Shetland isles of Scotland. The group is limited to 14 like minded travelers with your knowledgable tour director (program leader) and local guides sharing stories with you about the Vikings in Britain.

The tour program includes Lindisfarne, Orkney, Waterford and includes the Anglo Saxon site, Sutton Hoo plus a further 30 sites, places and museums along the way.

The Vikings

In the early medieval period , a group of seaborne Scandinavian raiders known as the Vikings left their mark on history as brutal warriors, smart traders, and adventurous explorers. It is difficult to precisely date the beginning and end of the Viking Age, but it is generally confined to the round dates of 800 AD to 1050 AD. This begins the age a few years after the earliest recorded raid and ends it a few years before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

During this time, the Vikings extended their sphere of activity far beyond their homelands in Denmark , Norway , Sweden , and adjacent coastal lands around the Baltic Sea. They began by raiding coastal sites in the British Isles and across northern Europe , France , and Italy , before extending further as traders along the river systems of central Europe to Russia and Byzantium. As explorers, the ventured across the North Atlantic, settling in modern-day Iceland , Greenland , and Newfoundland (making them the first Europeans to reach North America ).

Vikings in Ireland, Isle of Man, Orkney and Skye and England.

A Viking raid on the monastery of St Cuthbert on Lindisfarne , a small island located off the northeast coast of England , is often taken as the starting point of the Viking Age. The monastery was one of England’s holiest shrines and famous throughout Europe for its knowledgeable monks and extensive library. During the attack, the invaders – probably Norwegians who sailed directly across the North Sea – killed many of the monks, throwing them into the sea, before taking off with a haul of treasure and slave captives.

This small group tour visits Dublin and Waterford in Ireland. The Scottish isles via Edinburgh and then back to Glasgow . Exploring York , Lindisfarne and down to London and to Sutton Hoo to gain an understanding of the Vikings in Britain. Over some 25 days the story of the Vikings and how the trade with Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of man fits with the Journey to the west to the meadows of New Foundland, Greenland , Iceland, the Faroe islands and back to the Arctic circle and Scandinavia. A great tour for those with a fascination for Viking culture and their place in history.

Day 1: Dublin

Accommodation: Academy Plaza Hotel or similar

Arrival day, meet programme leader in hotel. Welcome dinner included.

Day 2: Dublin

A full day guided tour in Dublin, focusing on the main Viking-related sights and areas. The riverside area of Wood Quay was a significant Viking settlement – it is now the site of modern council offices, with nothing to see, so we will need to rely on the guide to bring it to life! Similarly, there is little to see in the modern-day suburb of Clontarf, where the battle of the same name took place. The day includes a short visit to Dublinia – it has recreations of Viking-era buildings and information on Viking Dublin to create the image of Viking Dublin.

Day 3: Waterford

Accommodation: Waterford Marina Hotel or similar

A multi-day excursion south starts today, to visit some key Viking sights in the south-western counties. Wexford and its harbour became a Viking settlement back in AD 819, the first recorded Viking activity on the island. The Irish National Heritage Centre is an open-air museum with some notable exhibits and recreations from the era. The Westgate Heritage Centre closed and is due to reopen as the Selskar Heritage Centre, but an opening date is yet to be confirmed, so this visit is subject to confirmation.

Dinner included on first night in nearby Waterford tonight.

Day 4: Watrford

A full day in Waterford, starting with a half-day tour with a local guide. Waterford claims to be Ireland’s oldest city, founded by the Vikings in the 9 th century. The Waterford Treasures is a group of three museums, all of which should be of interest. If the group do not get through all of the visits with the guide, they will be able to continue their explorations using the same ticket on their own in the afternoon.

I have also included the ‘King of the Vikings’ virtual-reality experience – I have not done it, so can’t vouch for it, and not sure if this would be a bit too ‘out there’ for your pax, but sounds a bit different at least.

Day 5: Dublin

The group will return to Dublin today, via some visits in Kilkenny. The Medieval Mile Museum is an intriguing local museum, while the Dunmore Cave nearby was the supposed site of a large-scale Viking massacre.

Day 6: Isle of man

Accommodation: Arrandale House or similar

Transfer to Dublin ferry terminal to catch ferry to Douglas, Isle of Man.

Dinner tonight, on first night in Douglas.

Day 7: Isle of man

First full day exploring the Isle of Man. The House of Manannan covers the island’s maritime history, including the Vikings, while nearby Peel Castle was originally built by Vikings. The Manx Museum, the National Museum of the island, also covers the full history of the Isle.

Day 8: Isle of man

Archaeological excavations at the Balladoole site in the south of the island uncovered, amongst other items, a Viking Age boat burial. The nearby Castle Rushen is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the world and was initially constructed by the Isle’s then Norse-Gaelic rulers. I have also included the Great Laxey Wheel today, as an interesting diversion, as the world’s largest working water wheel – it is included as part of the same historical sites group ticket that it is already quoted for the many sites mentioned above on the IoM. The mountain railway to the summit of Snaefell will afford the group with great views of the island and to see the lay of the land – and on a good day, across the Irish Sea in both directions to Ireland and to Great Britain.

Day 9: Isle of Man

Free day to explore Isle of man.

Day 10: Kendal Cumbria

Accommodation: Castle Green Hotel or similar

Transfer to Douglas ferry terminal to take the boat across to Heysham, Lancashire, England. A touring coach service will meet the group here and remain with them to Gills Bay in northern Scotland, when the group get the ferry to Orkney. Overnight tonight in Kendal, Cumbria, on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

Dinner included tonight.

Day 11: Barrow in Furness

A full day looping around Cumbria to visit a plethora of Viking sights, including a visit to the Dock Museum in Barrow in Furness. There are hogback tombs, gravestones and stone crosses pertaining to the Viking era scattered across churches in the region. I have also included a visit to the Moorforge Viking Settlement, a small educational Viking settlement recreation – this visit is subject to availability.

Day 12: York

Accommodation: Park Inn by Radisson City Centre or similar

Head across the Yorkshire Dales en route to York, with some interesting stops on the way. The Rey Cross is the remains of a stone cross; a long-held local legends states it was the burial place of Eric Bloodaxe, Viking Ruler of Northumbria. The village of Stamford Bridge near York was the site of the eponymous battle back in the 11 th century, which is stated to symbolise the end of the Viking era in the British Isles.

Day 13: York

A half-day guided tour in York, including entrance to the Yorkshire Museum, home to the Bedale Hoard of Viking silver jewellery. Guided walking tour of Viking York.

(Note the Jorvik Viking Centre does lean towards families, however it does have life-size dioramas depicting Viking life in the city and lots of original exhibits of Viking-era tools and weaponry.)

Day 14: York

Accommodation: Kings Lodge Inn or similar

Free morning to explore York.

The group will continue up to Durham this afternoon after lunch as they start the long journey north to Scotland and beyond.

Day 15: Lindisfarne - Edinburgh

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express City Centre or similar

The group will waste no time in heading north into Northumberland today, with the star attraction of Lindisfarne. I have also included Bamburgh Castle, the former site of a fort destroyed by Vikings shortly before the turn of the millennium, before the Normans later built a new castle on the site. The group will end up in Edinburgh today, with dinner included.

Hexham Abbey would be an interesting visit, built on the site of a former church burnt down by Halfdene the Dane.

Day 16: Edinburgh

A half-day tour of Edinburgh, including a visit to the National Museum of Scotland to see the Galloway Hoard and the Lewis Chessmen. An afternoon free and a second night in Edinburgh to relax after some long days of travelling before and after today.

Day 17: Inverness

Accommodation: Glen Mohr Hotel or similar

Travel today via the Trossachs, Fort William and Loch Ness for the group to take in some of the Scottish scenery, as well as a visit to Stirling Castle, given its significance in Scottish history.

Day 18: Gills Bay to Orkney

Accommodation: Orkney Hotel or similar

The group will continue north today, catching the ferry from Gills Bay to Orkney in the early evening. The Shandwick Stone is a fascinating pre- or early Viking-era feature on this route which is worth stopping to see.

Dinner included on first night in Orkney.

Day 19: Orkney

Full day with mini-coach and driver-guide on the mainland of Orkney, visiting some of the many key Viking sights.

Day 20: Orkney

Full day with mini-coach and driver-guide on the mainland of Orkney, visiting some of the many key Viking sights, which will form some of the highlights of this tour.

Day 21: Orkney islands

Accommodation: Overnight Ferry

Egilsay Island is home to St Magnus Church, dating back to early Norse times. The Orkneyinga Saga records that Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, was murdered on the island, with the church supposedly built on the site of the murder. Reaching the island involves taking a ferry from the mainland, with schedules a little unpredictable. It is one of the most intriguing sights, steeped in history and a unique experience.

Dinner in Kirkwall tonight before catching the overnight ferry to Shetland.

Day 22: Shetland isles

Accommodation: Shetland Hotel or similar

Arrive early on Shetland and embark on first day of sightseeing with driver-guide. Highlights include the Old Scatness and Jarlshof sites near Sumburgh. The group will also take the short ferry to Mousa to view the eponymous broch, one of the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe.

Dinner included tonight on first night in Lerwick.

Day 23: Unst

Day 21 – A full day ferry-hopping to get to Unst, one of the outer islands of the archipelago. Here there is a replica Viking longhouse as well as the replica longboat Skidbladner. I have also allocated time for a walk to view the Muckle Flugga lighthouse (often wrongly claimed to be the most northern point of Britain).

Day 24: Glasgow

Accommodation: Holiday Inn or similar

Day 22 – Transfer to Sumburgh airport to catch a flight to Glasgow.

Group meal in Glasgow.

Day 25: To London by Train

Accommodation: London House Hotel or similar

Train to London from Glasgow. Arrive London and transfer to hotel. Afternoon is free time.

Day 25: London

Full day in London, travelling around by public transport. The group will visit the British Museum (with a guided tour focusing on Viking-era exhibits) and have the afternoon free.

Day 26: London

A full day excursion to Woodbridge in Suffolk, closing out the tour with one the highlights – Sutton Hoo, providing significant insight into early Anglo-Saxon times in Britain.

Final night in London, with farewell dinner.

Day 27: London

Tour concludes after Breakfast.

Includes / Excludes

What’s included in our Tour

• 24 nights hotel accommodation.
• 1 night cabin accommodation on a ferry
• 24 breakfasts, 1 picnic style lunch, 10 dinners.
• Transport by modern vehicle suitable for the highway conditions.
• Air, train in standard carriage and ferry as specified in the itinerary
• Entrances and sightseeing as specified.
• Services of Tour Leader for the duration of tour.
• Detailed Preparatory Information.

What’s not included in our Tour

• Return International airfares.
• Comprehensive travel insurance.
• Items of a personal nature, such as telephone calls and laundry.

Participants must be able to carry their own luggage, climb and descend stairs, be in good health, mobile and able to participate in 3-5 hours of physical activity per day, the equivalent of walking / hiking up to 8 kilometers per day on uneven ground.

02 June 2024

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The 9 best Viking sites in Britain

From Lindisfarne in northeast England, where a dramatic Viking raid in 793 changed history, to a reconstructed longhouse in the far southwest, Britain has a wealth of historic sites and modern-day attractions to interest the curious visitor.

The most comprehensive, the JORVIK Viking Centre in York, has been in place for nearly 40 years and stages regular events and an annual festival. 

JORVIK Viking Centre

If you're going to visit just one Viking-related attraction in Britain, this is it. Approaching its 40th year, the JORVIK Viking Centre recently welcomed its 20 millionth visitor through its doors. 

Developed in tandem with its annual festival, JORVIK first opened in the historic heart of York in 1984. It resulted from the dramatic discoveries unearthed over five years along Coppergate, a grand total of 20,000 artifacts. 

From these, specialists could determine the construction and layout of the buildings where townsfolk lived and worked, how they lived and traded, what they ate, and some idea of how they spent their free time. 

Instead of displaying them under glass, the York Archaeological Trust created a visitor experience. 

The JORVIK Viking Centre is an immersive adventure in which visitors travel in time cars, along streets that capture how Coppergate would have appeared one late October afternoon in 948. Below ground lie remains of a Viking hearth and parts of the ancient wall.

JORVIK Viking Centre , 19 Coppergate, York YO1 9WT.

The St Cuthbert Monument at the Lindisfarne Museum. Photo: Courtesy of Lindisfarne Museum

Lindisfarne Priory

One of the key sites in Viking history, Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island now has a new museum , with never-before-seen exhibits on display. 

The place where the devastating Viking raid took place in the UK in 793, Lindisfarne is forever linked with the island monastery that was one of England's holiest shrines. 

Access to the site in a windswept corner of northeast England is across a causeway at the mercy of sea tides. For this reason, strict visiting times are given. The island's relative inaccessibility would have been one of its main attractions to the monks who settled there. 

Current highlights include a necklace made from salmon vertebrae, thought to be Britain's earliest known rosary beads, an Anglo-Saxon glass gaming counter in attractive colors, and 21 name stones inscribed in runic and Latin texts as grave markers. 

With specific reference to the Norse invasion, another grave marker now on display, referred to as the Viking Domesday stone , depicts seven armed men brandishing swords and axes. Dating back to the ninth century, it has never been put on show before. 

Lindisfarne Priory , Church Lane, Holy Island, Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 2RX. Access information here . Safe crossing times here . Accommodation available at the Coastguard's Cottage .

The British Museum

There are very many reasons to visit the British Museum, with 80,000 objects on display at any one time, around 1/100th of its whole collection, but Viking aficionados often head straight for Room 40. 

There, standing tall in the Medieval Europe Gallery, are the beautifully carved likenesses of kings, queens, knights, and bishops: the Lewis Chessmen. 

Fashioned from walrus ivory and whales' teeth, they date from the mid-1100s and are thought to have belonged to a merchant traveling from Norway to Scotland. 

Their modern-day name relates to the Hebridean island location where they were found in 1831. 

Of the 78 pieces, 11 are held at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh (see below), and the collection is occasionally loaned out to prestigious exhibitions around the world. Replicas are on sale in the museum shop. 

Next door, at Room 41, you'll find the Sutton Hoo Helmet, belonging to an Anglo-Saxon warrior, possibly King Raedwald of East Anglia, dating back to the early 600s. 

Also part of the permanent collection but not on display are Viking brooches acquired by the eminent Scots archaeologist Dr. James Curle, better known for his Roman finds near his hometown of Montrose, but who visited Gotland in 1888 and kept in touch with agents there.

The British Museum , Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Admission free but booking advised.

House of Manannan

Named after a mythological sea god once thought to oversee the waters surrounding the Isle of Man, the House of Manannan takes its lead from the JORVIK Viking Centre (see above), providing visitors with an immersive experience to understand local history. 

Not only can you admire a reconstruction of a Viking longship, but you can also join the crew to see what it would have been like to have crossed the rough North Sea in search of plunder and adventure. 

How was it to live in a Viking longhouse? Sights, sounds, and smells give you a good idea while explaining how Viking and Celtic cultures dovetailed when this island in the Irish Sea fell under Norse control for nearly half a millennium. Currently, you can follow Odin's Winter Quest until April 21.

House of Manannan , Mill Road, Peel IM5 1TA, Isle of Man

The National Museum of Scotland is located in Edinburgh. Photo: clivewa / Shutterstock

National Museum of Scotland

Home of the Galloway Hoard , the richest collection of Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland currently in storage, Scotland's National Museum has plenty of other fascinating artifacts to browse. 

A double-edged sword discovered by the Strathspey heritage railway in the Highlands is on view in the Early People section on Level -1, which is where you'll find a gilt brooch found at a Viking grave on the island of Oronsay, a peg-board game of Hnefatafl from Orkney, and many rings and bracelets. 

It is not yet certain when the Galloway Hoard of over 100 gold and silver items, found in Dumfries in 2014, will be back on display, having been on show in Aberdeen until October 2022. 

On Level 1, Kingdom of the Scots, don't miss the Lewis Chessmen, 11 of the 93 gaming pieces spotted on a beach in the Outer Hebrides in 1831. 

The remaining figures can be admired at The British Museum in London (see above).

National Museum of Scotland , Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF. Admission free.

Ancient Technology Centre

Near the site where the first Englishman slain by a Norse warrior is said to have fallen, Beaduheard in 789, the Ancient Technology Centre in Dorset allows you to experience life as a Viking. 

Groups stay at a 26-meter-long reconstructed longhouse, whose composition was based on first-hand research in Denmark, made with traditional materials. 

While here, visitors wear Viking tunics, dresses, and accessories, carry out essential tasks and play games that Norse families enjoyed.

Also on-site are ancient Neolithic houses, reconstructed by following the remain of seven actual dwellings from that period, found at Durrington Walls near Stonehenge. 

The center holds open days several times a year – the next ones are on March 25 and 26 – as well as courses, including Viking cookery, and day visits.

Ancient Technology Centre , Damerham Road, Cranbourne, Wimbourne BH21 5RP, Dorset

The entrance to the church in Repton, Derbyshire, UK. Photo: Simon Annable / Shutterstock

St Wystan's Church 

The crypt below St Wystan's Church in Repton, Derbyshire, would have been a trove of glittering treasure and a burial site for the kings of Mercia when the Vikings attacked it in the 870s. 

Wintering at what was then Repton Abbey in 873-74, the Norse invaders buried two of their warriors alongside, a father and son with their weapons and jewelry. 

They were discovered in the 1970s as part of a lengthy dig that not only extended into the 1980s but also took in a nearby mound where the bones of 300 people had been interred, later found to be of Scandinavian origin and date to the same time as the battles that took place here.

Although both sites have since been landscaped over, you can still stand where it is thought Vikings were brought here to be communally buried. Coins and weapons were also found around them, again dating to the 870s. 

You can also visit the crypt of St Wystan's, with its original Anglo-Saxon pillars and stonework built in the early 700s. 

The alcoves would have been too small for actual bodies to lie there, only bones, which is why Repton became a place of pilgrimage after St Wystan died around 840. 

Three decades later, monks would have carried these remains away with them when escaping from the Vikings. Sometime in the 1030s, Christian King Cnut had them moved to Evesham Abbey, along with those of other saints.

St Wystan's Church , 7 Willington Road, Repton DE65 6FH.

Dock Museum

In a little-visited part of England dotted with Norse place names, the Dock Museum looking over the Irish Sea from southern Cumbria holds much of the Furness hoard discovered locally by a metal detectorist in 2011. 

Consisting of 92 silver coins, including two Arabic dirhams, ingots, and arm rings, it provided conclusive archaeological evidence of the Viking occupation here rather than just linguistic links. 

Until then, there had been remnants of a Viking sword found by the sexton of Rampside while digging a grave in 1909, a lead weight unearthed at Dalton, and a tympanum with carved runic letters and a spindle whorl from Pennington. Younger visitors can try on a replica Viking cloak and helmet.

Under the same roof are a Roman bracelet, a fragment of human bone from 10,000 years ago, and items relating to the ship-building past of this former industrial hub.

Dock Museum , Barrow-in-Furness LA14 2PW

Yorkshire Museum 

In the same city as JORVIK Viking Centre (see above), this is more of a museum in the traditional sense but very much worth a visit if you're in town. The Yorkshire Museum holds some of the artifacts found in the Vale of York Viking Hoard. 

Discovered near Harrogate in 2007 by father-and-son metal detectorists David and Andrew Whelan, it consisted of 617 silver coins and 65 other precious items, themselves contained within a gilt silver ecclesiastical vessel lined with gold possibly plundered from France. 

The coins date from the late 800s and early 900s and feature Islamic, Christian, and Norse pagan symbols. They probably belonged to a Viking leader who buried his treasure during a period of conflict with Northumbrian forces in the 920s and 930s.

Valued at GBP 1 million, it was partly bought by the York Museums Trust, and occasionally loaned out as part of traveling exhibitions. 

The Yorkshire Museum also owns the Gilling Sword, found by a local schoolboy in a river in 1976 and thought to have belonged to an Anglo-Saxon soldier from the same period as the coins in the Vale of York Viking Hoard. 

Unearthed during the extensive dig here that inspired the JORVIK Viking Centre, the Coppergate Helmet is the best-preserved of the six such Anglo-Saxon items known to have survived to the present day, and another highlight of the permanent collection here. 

Inscribed with Christian texts in Latin, it was completely restored so that its complete form with neck, nose, and cheek guards appear as they would have done in the 700s.

Yorkshire Museum , Museum Gardens, Museum Street, York YO1 7FR

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The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

3 of the Most Important Viking Settlements in England

09 Oct 2018

This article is an edited transcript of Vikings Uncovered Part 1 on Dan Snow’s History Hit , first broadcast 29 April 2016.

My tour started in the Midlands, in England, on the banks of the River Trent. The Vikings were mariners , they used the rivers.

We’ve forgotten now, because our rivers are shallow and encroached on, we’ve built embankments and dykes, but rivers in the past were mighty highways that ran through this country.

You get a sense of it now if you look at the Mississippi in the U.S. or the Saint Lawrence in Canada, these rivers were massive, and they were the arteries through which the poison of the Vikings could enter the English kingdom.

Archaeologists have recently discovered phenomenal site in Torksey, on the north bank of the River Trent, that has yielded tens of thousands of metal finds over the years.

The only time it was settled was in the winter of 872 to 873 and, as a result, we can be pretty sure that all these finds date from that winter. It was a Viking winter camp. They stopped there for the winter.

A reconstruction of a Viking from Repton. Credit: Roger / Commons.

Then, later, I went to one of the most remarkable places I’ve ever been in the U.K. in terms of archaeology. Professor Martin Biddle took me to Repton, which the Vikings took in 873 then spent the winter of 873 to 874, the following winter there.

The site has evidence of a Viking closure around a medieval church. The original church was completely destroyed. It had once been a church with the royal heads of the rulers of the English kingdom of Mercia.

It was then effectively wiped from the history books having been totally destroyed by the Vikings, who then stayed there .

We found one very high-status Viking who had been hacked to pieces, his eyes gouged out and his penis chopped off. He’d been buried there with honours and, interestingly, a wild boar’s tusk, which had been placed between his legs as if to replace his penis. His sword was hung at his waist.

50 meters from that site is an extraordinary burial mound with many bodies in it. To the side are four children buried, two of them crouching in what could well be a human sacrifice, then a huge mound of bodies. Professor Biddle believes they could have been brought there from various other campaigns and buried together.

Controversially, about 200 or 300 years ago this mound was disturbed by a gardener. He claimed that on top of this big pile of bones was one particular skeleton that was extremely tall and seemed to be the centre point of the grave.

Biddle thinks this could be Ivar the Boneless , who was one of the most infamous Vikings of the 9th century. Perhaps he could have been buried here in Repton.

Then I went to York, which became the centre of Viking settlements in the British Isles.

I learned that in York the Vikings actually didn’t just rape, pillage and destroy , they actually built a phenomenally sophisticated and dynamic economic center and actually started to reintroduce urban living, practices and trades to England.

So, in fact, you could argue that the Vikings brought a huge amount of economic dynamism and trade through this informal empire, this network, that by that stage stretched across western Europe.

The Lloyds Bank Turd, which is on display at the Jorvik Viking Centre. Credit: Linda Spashett

York is also home to the Jorvik Viking Centre. One of the museum’s prized exhibits is called the Lloyds Bank Turd, a coprolite. Essentially it’s a large piece of fossilised human faeces that was found under the current site of Lloyds Bank.

It’s thought to be a Viking poo and, of course, you can discover all sorts of interesting things about what people ate from their poo.

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So, you want to be a Viking? A guide to the best Viking spots in England

Marvel movies, hit television shows, and video games: Vikings pop up everywhere in today’s culture. The first resurgence of interest for these thousand-year-old Scandinavians stems back to 1820, when the Swedish author Esaias Tegner’s Fridtjofs Saga took Europe by storm. This spread a fascination with Old Norse sagas full of love, lust, death and adventure. Here’s what you need to know about Viking culture and where to go to experience their English history.

Who were the Vikings anyway?

The Vikings were Norwegians, Danes, and Swedes from the late eighth century up until the early eleventh century. They invaded many parts of the world; carried out raids across eastern and western Europe; and reached the North American continent, the Mediterranean, and even parts of the Middle East. They pillaged and rampaged their way across a large chunk of the globe and settled in some of these places too. There’s evidence of the Vikings setting up shop in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Scotland , Greenland, and of course, good old England .

What does 'Viking' even mean?

People can’t agree on where the term ‘viking’ came from. For some, the word in Latin for ‘town’, ‘camp’ or ‘dwelling place’, vicus comes up as a solution. Another option is vikja, which means ‘to travel from place to place’ in Old Norse. The most obvious explanation is that the Vikings originally came from a specific bay area surrounding the fjord of Oslo which stretches to Bohuslän’s coast in today’s Sweden, called Vik.

What were the Vikings looking to gain?

But why did the Vikings rampage through so many societies and cultures? The answer isn’t obvious. To some French and German historians, the Vikings’ take-over was due to poverty in the Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. For others, it was a question of overpopulation and a demand for more land. Another convincing argument is from a religious angle. Christianity was spreading like wildfire in central and western Europe in the early Middle Ages. The Vikings were Pagans and forced conversion to Christianity was a religious and political threat.

What was the extent of the Viking settlement in England?

We know little about the Vikings and their time here. In many regards, England wasn’t the same England we know and love today. It was made up of seven different kingdoms: Mercia, Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, and Sussex. The Viking reign was most significant during the ninth century.  Armies from Danelaw (Denmark as we know it today) controlled the northern, central, and eastern parts of England in the Anglo-Saxon period; with Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia most affected. Although the extent of the Danish settlement is uncertain, the political impact and the lasting influence is still found in dialects and in English.

Why England?

England was an easy target: a non-united nation full of riches – in fact, the richest country in Western Europe. It was also Christian, and therefore the perfect destination for the Vikings to establish their dominance.

How did it all begin?

The attacks in the British Isles started at the monastery at Lindisfarne in 793. Up until this point, the relationship between England and their Scandinavian neighbours across the water had seemed friendly. The monks were defenceless to the unexpected ambush. From the first sighting of the longboats, there was only an hour for them to prepare for what was to come. And no one could’ve anticipated the violent raid that followed.

When did England regain control? 

“But England isn’t Scandinavian today” I hear you say. Well, Alfred the Great of Wessex worked hard to hold off the attackers and keep parts of England Anglo-Saxon, and by 927, he’d taken back control over much of the territory that had been lost by the other Anglo-Saxon kings. In 1066, the win at the battle of Hastings by William of Normandy wiped clean the lingering Viking powers.

Where are some of the best Viking spots in England?

Do you want to experience Viking history in real-time? Here are some of the best spots in England. So, grab your Viking helmets, and your spears, and maybe leave your longboats at home, because you too can jet off just like a Viking to these areas.  

1. Lindisfarne

This tiny island is known by its few inhabitants as ‘Holy Island’. Here you can experience where the Viking saga in the British Isles all began. Head to Lindisfarne Priory  and take in the place of the first attack. You could even re-enact the original raid with your friends. But don’t take it too literally. I’m not sure pillaging would go down well with the locals.   

2. The Thames

The Vikings first extended their stay in England at Thanet (Kent). In 851, a whopping 350 ships voyaged down London’s Thames, before the Vikings disembarked and made it their home for the winter. The river was used again by the ‘Great Heathen Army’ in 865 as a means to expand their settlement. Who knows what Viking treasures are hiding on the riverbed? Diving in the Thames isn’t the best idea, but you can take a stroll and try to imagine what artefacts lay underneath the water. To find out more about the Vikings’ lasting impressions on the river and city, the Museum of London  is the place to go.  

3. Canterbury

Canterbury is a stone’s throw away from London and was also a Viking target. In 1012, they kidnapped the Archbishop of Canterbury and asked for a hefty ransom. The price for his freedom didn’t seem fair to the Anglo-Saxon Monarchy, and this led to the murder of the archbishop. Fleetingly, the Viking king Sven Forkbeard took control before his untimely death. His successor, Cnut kept his predecessor’s power, and ended up the ruler of the North Sea empire, which included all of England.

The city’s Viking significance is nothing to be scoffed at. Its religious roots made it a perfect location to gain control over England. The Medieval Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and where the archbishop was captured, is worth a visit. The building has stood the test of time, including the violence inflicted by the ancient Scandinavians.  

The Viking agenda in the city of York was more political than anything else. In 866, The city became the Scandinavian capital when it was seized and renamed Jorvik, possibly meaning ‘wild boar creek’ in Old Norse.

Reappointing kings is the gist of the Viking political jurisdiction in York. It was also the most vital centre under the Danelaw and became home for many Scandinavians. There are still remnants of Viking influence scattered throughout the modern-day city. You too can explore streets with names deriving from Old Norse, such as Micklegate and Walmgate. The Viking architecture hasn’t survived but there is a treasure-trove of relics underneath the city. Some of which were dug up and are on display at the Jorvik Viking Centre . The centre is the destination for all things Viking and is too good to miss out on.

Additionally, York still celebrates its Scandinavian past with a yearly 9-day festival , appropriately named Jorvik. Visiting the city is the closest you can get to the essence of vikingness in England. And you can voyage to the Old Norse capital on quite a few Rabbie’s tours .  

5. Derbyshire

For Derbyshire, the Viking colonisation proof is in the pudding. Many cities and villages contain the Old Norse suffix ‘-by’ to mean village as part of their name. Places like Ingleby home to Viking cemeteries and even the city of Derby, or ‘deer village’ derives from the ancient language. Repton, a small village in the south of the county has a grave Scandinavian past. In the seventh century, it was a noteworthy location for the Anglo-Saxon monarchy and the church. Excellently positioned on the River Trent and with royals laid to rest there, Repton was just waiting for the Vikings to attack. 873 marks their arrival and they set up camp for the winter. From there, they began their political control by banishing king Burgred of Mercia to Rome and replacing him with king Ceolwulf as a figurehead.

Today, you can visit Repton Abbey and discover the Viking mausoleum, a mass grave of at least 249 human corpses. It was discovered by accident by a labourer. Can you believe it? He stumbled across it while tidying up some terrain. Since, many artefacts from over a thousand years ago were acquisitioned from the burial site such as a sword, an axe, paraphernalia made of gold and silver, and some coins.

The whole region is packed with Viking history. Coincidently, Rabbie’s can take you to Derbyshire directly from Manchester in just one day .  

This county on the coast of southwest England acted as an open dor and set off point for the Viking rule over the mainland. Between 787 and 789 they began their attacks on the Isle of Portland, which is connected to the rest of England by a slim southern beach, called Chesil. Portland has a variety of things to do and see, rugged landscapes and lots of coastline. It’s a fantastic spot for a Viking adventure.

But it wasn’t all Scandinavian victories in this part of the world. A burial site discovered in 2009 at Ridgeway hill confirms at least one Anglo-Saxon win. Its position wasn’t chosen by accident and acted as a warning sign for those who thought they could hassle the English. Strategically placed between the ancient Ridgeway and a Roman road it was impossible to miss by any passers-by. A total of 54 Viking skeletons and 51 skulls were uncovered at the hill. According to historians, the three missing skulls were placed on spears and displayed as a cautionary tale. Evidence shows that they were executed by beheading, even those who had filed their teeth down just like the infamous King Harald Bluetooth. Today, you could take a nice, rampaging charge up Ridgeway Hill and visit the original site. Who knows maybe you’ll find the three missing skulls?

There you have it. 300 hundred years of Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle have made their mark. England is full of excellent spots to relive and discover the ancient past. And it’s likely that plenty of locals have Scandinavian blood running through their veins. So, the English are essentially still part Viking. And you could be too.  

Marisha writes blogs and other stuff for Rabbie's. She has a serious case of wanderlust and loves learning and exploring new places. 

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Day 1: bergen, norway.

Embark your ship and settle into your stateroom. Bergen is home to the Hanseatic League's only kontor (trading enclave) still in existence. Bryggen wharf, a row of timbered Hanseatic warehouses along a quaint quay, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Narrow wooden walkways are flanked by parallel rows of small, vibrantly painted buildings overlooking the picturesque Vågen Harbor. This is perhaps the most charming district of Bergen and a delight to explore, from its tight-knit community of workshops where artisans sell their wares to its cafés where freshly prepared smørbrød, or open-faced sandwiches, are on the menu.

Day 2: Bergen, Norway

Bergen, an ancient city with deep Viking roots, is nestled between gargantuan snowcapped mountains, magnificent fjords and one of Europe's largest glaciers. Founded in 1070 on what was a Viking settlement, Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. Not to be missed is a stroll through the Fisketorget, where the fresh catch of the sea awaits—from cod and prawns to local caviar and icy oysters.

Day 3: Shetland Islands (Lerwick), Scotland

The Shetland Islands may be remote, but history did not overlook them. At the excavation site of Jarlshof, tall, stone roundhouses date to the Iron Age and an ancient Norse longhouse tells of a Viking community. More recent history echoes through the streets of Lerwick, the islands' sleepy capital founded by Dutch fishermen. The main island, Mainland, gets much of its beauty from its diversity. Farmlands and dreamy meadows unfold toward seal-dotted beaches, rocky cliffs take a beating from the surf, and medieval castles overlook valleys and lakes.

Day 4: The Highlands (Invergordon), Scotland

Invergordon lies in the mountainous, heather-covered Scottish Highlands amid a patchwork of farmland. The small community celebrates itself with a series of stunning murals painted by local artists; a walking trail leads visitors to them all, passing colorful window flowerboxes along the way. Whisky is another mainstay here, produced in a local grain distillery. This charming port is the gateway to a breathtaking region that provides a fascinating glimpse into the days of warring clans, and into the legend of “Nessie,” the fabled monster of Loch Ness.

Day 5: Edinburgh (New Haven Harbour), Scotland

Edinburgh has been Scotland's capital since the 15th century, despite the fact that the Union of the Crowns moved it to London in 1603. There is no capital quite like Edinburgh, with its gorgeous setting on green rocky hillocks and splendid views of the sea. Edinburgh Castle , home of the Scottish Crown Jewels and countless medieval treasures, overlooks the city from Castle Rock. The Royal Mile unfurls Edinburgh's architectural gems in all their finery, from the Canongate to St. Giles's Cathedral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Scottish residence of British royalty.

Day 6: Orkney Islands (Kirkwall), Scotland

The history of the Scottish Orkney Islands dates back millennia. Neolithic remains, including the ancient site of Brodgar, predate Stonehenge and the Pyramids. The 13th-century Norse Orkneyinga Saga told of Vikings who ruled here.

Later, the earls took over, and the French Renaissance palace that remains is a legacy to their grandeur. Another castle, Balfour, stands regally in a stark landscape. While the northern Europeans greatly influenced this hauntingly beautiful archipelago, consider the Italian Chapel, built by the hands of Italian prisoners during wartime.

Day 7: The Highlands (Ullapool), Scotland

Ullapool enjoys one of the most remote settings in the United Kingdom on the pristine shores of Loch Broom. This tiny town, dotted with distinctive New Zealand cabbage trees, is the largest community for miles surrounded by the stunningly scenic Western Isles, dramatic mountain peaks piercing the sky and unspoiled wilderness. Ullapool's beauty lies in its tranquility. A launchpad for ferries to the stunning Western Isles, this former herring port village is also a popular gateway for walkers, adventurers and nature lovers.

Day 8: Belfast, Northern Ireland

A major port heralded for its shipbuilding heritage, Belfast has undergone a cultural and architectural renaissance unrivaled in the rest of Europe. The influence of Britain is everywhere in this polished capital of Northern Ireland. Some of its most striking buildings exude Victorian flair and cosmopolitan elegance amid its famous Irish charm. Along the Golden Mile, high-end boutiques are reminiscent of those found in Paris, and the opulent Grand Opera House stands as a hub of Belfast culture.

Day 9: Liverpool, England

Liverpool is celebrated as the 'World Capital of Pop;' 56 musicians born and bred here have had #1 singles. Most notably, the legendary Beatles—John, Paul, George and Ringo—hailed from this port city. But it is more than music that has put Liverpool on England's cultural map. Long an important center for maritime commerce, its storied waterfront is home to many buildings of historic, architectural and cultural significance, including a spectacular trio of palatial, early 20th-century buildings known as the 'Three Graces,' and the revitalized Royal Albert Dock.

Day 10: Holyhead, Wales

Holyhead is a cozy coastal enclave on the isle of Anglesey off the northwestern tip of Wales. This region boasts the greatest concentration of ancient burial chambers and standing stones in Britain. Holyhead is contained within one of the few three-walled Roman forts in Europe, protected on the fourth side by the sea. The historic St. Cybi's Church lies at the fortress's center and the excellent Maritime Museum chronicles local seafaring history. Locals are as likely to speak Welsh as English; almost two-thirds of the youth speak this fascinating tongue.

Day 11: Dublin, Ireland

A UNESCO City of Literature, Dublin is the birthplace of many of Ireland's finest writers, from James Joyce and Oscar Wilde to Wiliam Butler Yeats. The people of Dublin have long celebrated the written word, nowhere more deeply than at the library of Trinity College, the hallowed home of the inspiring 9th-century illuminated Book of Kells. And there is much more to explore, from the soaring St. Patrick's Cathedral, the nation's spiritual touchstone, to Dublin Castle, built after the Norman invasion that unseated the Vikings here.

Day 12: Scenic Sailing: English Channel

About 350 miles long, the English Channel separates southern England from northern France. William the Conqueror crossed these waters to become king of England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The most triumphant crossing unfolded on D-Day, when Allied troops landed on Normandy's shores. The channel's narrowest point stretches about 20 miles between Dover and Calais. Dover's famed cliffs can be seen from a distance as a long white strip resting on the horizon. As you sail, explore our well-curated Library, tucked in a private alcove of the Living Room, and select from a broad range of titles. Read a book by the Main Pool, a calming oasis in any weather with its retractable roof, allowing for year-round swimming.

Day 13: Dover, England

Most famously known for its dramatic white-chalk towering cliffs, Dover is the nearest city to France across the English Channel. Its strategic location as a doorway into England has earned it the moniker 'Key to England.' As the port was under constant threat because of its location, the massive Dover Castle overlooking the channel grew over the centuries to become the nation's largest edifice and remains so today. Dover also served as a bastion and command center during World War II.

Day 14: London (Greenwich), England

Greenwich, a borough of London, is home to the Royal Observatory. From here, the world's longitude is measured from the prime meridian, and Greenwich Mean Time sets the global time standard. At the port, the clipper ship Cutty Sark, one of Greenwich's renowned historic landmarks, is preserved as a fascinating museum. Upriver, London is home to Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. In addition, this major economic and cultural hub boasts a long tradition of arts and architectural innovation—from Shakespeare's Globe Theater to West End musicals.

Day 15: London (Greenwich), England

Greenwich is home to several iconic maritime institutions. Royal Naval College is a major symbol of Britain's seafaring heritage and the architectural centerpiece of Greenwich. It opened as a hospital for sailors in 1712 and served as the Royal Navy's educational institution from 1873 to 1998. Today, its hallowed halls whisper of the days when Britannia ruled the waves. The National Maritime Museum is the world's largest, chronicling England's seafaring endeavors in its compelling collection of art, maps and countless memorabilia, including the first marine chronometer. After breakfast, disembark your ship and journey home.

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• Bergen to London (Greenwich) London (Greenwich) to Bergen
• Day 1 Bergen, Norway
• Day 2 Bergen, Norway
• Day 3 Shetland Islands (Lerwick), Scotland
• Day 4 The Highlands (Invergordon), Scotland
• Day 5 Edinburgh (New Haven Harbour), Scotland
• Day 6 Orkney Islands (Kirkwall), Scotland
• Day 7 The Highlands (Ullapool), Scotland
• Day 8 Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Day 9 Liverpool, England
• Day 10 Holyhead, Wales
• Day 11 Dublin (Dún Laoghaire), Ireland
• Day 12 Scenic Sailing: English Channel
• Day 13 Dover, England
• Day 14 London (Greenwich), England
• Day 15 London (Greenwich), England

The Highlands (Invergordon), Scotland

Invergordon lies in the mountainous, heather-covered Scottish Highlands amid a patchwork of farmland. The small community celebrates itself with a series of stunning murals painted by local artists; a walking trail leads visitors to them all, passing colorful window flowerboxes along the way. Whisky is another mainstay here, produced in a local grain distillery. This charming port is the gateway to a breathtaking region that provides a fascinating glimpse into the days of warring clans, and into the legend of “Nessie,” the fabled monster of Loch Ness.

Shore Excursions

Inverness Scenic Drive

Explore "Inversnecky," as Scotland’s northernmost city on the banks of the Ness River is known locally.

Scottish Highland Forest Walk

Discover Scotland’s impressive woodlands and enjoy a walk through the forest.

Cawdor Castle & Culloden

Experience a romantic, stately Scottish Highlands home, and see the site of the last battle fought on British soil.

Glenmorangie Distillery

Tour the world-renowned Glenmorangie Distillery and enjoy a taste of their esteemed whisky.

Loch Ness & Historic Urquhart Castle

Visit one of Scotland’s most famed castles and a main site for reported sightings of the Loch Ness Monster.

Portmahomack & the Ancient Picts

Discover the sophisticated culture and history of one of Scotland’s earliest civilizations, the Picts.

The Ultimate Loch Ness Outlander Experience

Immerse yourself in the history and natural beauty of Scotland during a journey through the majestic Highlands.

Rothiemurchus Estate

Experience traditional Highland life during a visit to the scenic Scottish estate of Rothiemurchus.

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Jorvik Viking Centre

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9 of the best Viking tours in Scandinavia

The Vikings came from Norway, Denmark and Sweden more than thousand years ago and left a rich cultural heritage across Scandinavia.

The era of the Vikings lasted from around 800–1050, during which time these sea-faring people travelled widely throughout northern Europe, trading, fighting, plundering and colonising as far afield as France, Ireland, Iceland and even Greenland . 

But it is in their home nations that the historical legacy is so strong, with Norway, Sweden and Denmark having loads of Viking remains that you can still see today.

What kinds of things can you see?

Throughout Scandinavia, you can visit museums displaying beautifully preserved Viking long boats, explore ancient Viking settlements and burial grounds, and marvel at Viking standing stones, runes and archeological finds.

The largest Viking longhouse ever discovered is at Borg on Vestvågøy in Norway’s Lofoten islands; the world’s best-known rune stones are at Jelling in Denmark; and the world’s largest haul of Viking silver has been recently excavated at Täby in Sweden.

And honestly, these treasures are just the tip of the iceberg!

Visiting Viking sites for yourself

Some of Scandinavia’s Viking sites are easy to access, while others are more remote and harder to get to.

You can visit museum sites that are highly organised with plenty of information and guides dressed in Viking gear – and maybe even Viking reenactments! 

These places really let you learn all the history and really get to grips with the Viking culture and lifestyle.  

Other sites are quiet, remote places where you can wander around on your own and drink in the atmosphere of a wild Viking camp.

Either way, taking a tour of Viking sites with an expert guide can really enhance your knowledge and experience of Viking culture.

For more on the Viking way of life and culture, see our guides on the Viking diet and Viking games .

Guided tours you can join

So, if you fancy seeing some of Scandinavian’s famous sites on a guided tour, there are plenty of different options available.

You can go on museum tours, archeological site visits , reenactment experiences, Viking feasts, boat tours, short day trips and multi-day tours with a guide, coach and accommodation included.

And the tours cover a wide geographical range from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and even Iceland.

So, whether you’re up for a fun interactive Viking feast experience or want to learn all about the culture, history lifestyle of the Vikings from an expert guide, there’s a tour for you.

Short tours and day trips

Here are some of some of our favourite Viking tours in Scandinavia. These are all relatively short tours that last anywhere from a couple of hours to a full day (we’ve listed multi-day tours below ).

Visit Viking sites from Stockholm

We love this tour from Stockholm that packs in a whole raft of impressive Viking sites in just one day.

Amongst other sites, you’ll visit a burial mound of Viking kings at Gamma Uppsala, the ruins of a church dedicated to Viking warrior Saint Olaf in Sigtuna, one of Sweden’s oldest towns, and explore Viking rune stones at Arkils Tingstad.

It’s led by an experienced guide with expert Viking knowledge and we think it’s a great introduction to Viking sites and culture.

Snowshoe in the fjords with a Viking dinner

Combine fantastic views of Norway’s fjords with a snowshoe hike, followed by a fun Viking dinner in front of the fire in a cosy Viking-style pub.  

We think this a unique opportunity to combine snowshoeing in the fjords with sampling a Viking-style feast of smoked reindeer and fish soup, accompanied by different Ægir beers.

Explore the Viking ship Museum in Roskilde

Combine history and culture on this day-trip from Copenhagen , which takes in the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum. Here you can admire renovated 11th-century Viking ships and learn all about Viking boat-building and sea-faring traditions.

Not only that, but the tour includes a visit to Roskilde Cathedral, burial site of 39 Danish kings and queens, plus Kronborg castle, the original Elsinore in Shakespeare’s Hamlet .

Visit the Viking islands from Alesund

This guided tour from Alesund in Norway’s fjordland takes in three islands which were settled by Vikings and explains all about the Viking heritage and history here.

You’ll visit three islands, including Giske, birthplace of the Viking Rollon (a descendent of the British royal family) and Godoy, home of a legendary Viking lighthouse.

Take a boat trip to the Birka Viking Village

Visit the Unesco-listed Birka Viking village on an island in Sweden’s Lake Mälaren. This huge archaeological site was once a thriving Viking settlement that dated from the 8th century and remains are still being excavated here today. 

The former settlement has been recreated so that visitors can experience Viking life – and there are regular talks, themed guided tours, and reconstructions of Viking feasts and ceremonies. 

The boat trip from Stockholm and entrance to the Viking village is included in the Stockholm Pass (May to October only).

Multi-day tours and vacations

If a short tour is not enough, why not base your holiday around visiting Viking sites, and even cover more than one Scandinavian country on your tour? Here are some of our favourite multi-day Viking-themed tours.

Visit Viking sites in four countries

This 15-day trip takes in significant Viking sites in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and even Germany, including Denmark’s Jelling stones, Norway’s stave churches and rock art at Tanum in Sweden.

What we really like about this tour is that it’s led by a senior lecturer in medieval archeology from the University of York and it includes private tours of some of the sights including the Hedared Stave Church and the Tanum rock art.

Cruise round the Viking sites

Combine Viking exploration with a cruise on this 12-day trip from Edinburgh, UK round some of Scandinavia’s most fascinating Viking sites, including the beautiful Unesco World Heritage city of Visby, whose well-preserved buildings date from Viking times. 

We like that this cruise also stops in at the Scotland’s remote Orkney islands, where Vikings from Norway settled in the 8th century.

Explore Norway’s Viking history

And if you just want to stay in Norway, we love this week-long jaunt around some of the country’s top Viking sites.

It includes a guided walking tour of the former Viking city of Bjørgvin, a trip to Gulating, home of a Viking court of law and parliament, and a walking tour on the island of Svanøy, birthplace of Viking, Erik Blodøks. 

But what we like best is the trip to the UNESCO-listed Urnes Stave Church, beautifully crafted in wood by the Vikings in the 12th-century.

Have a Viking adventure in Iceland

Iceland too was settled by the Vikings and there are plenty of Viking sites that you see on this three-day guided tour that also includes a trip into an ice cave and a hike along a glacial canyon.

Our favourite part of the tour is the cultural site Þingvellir, where the Eurasian and American tectonic plates meet and where the Vikings set up the Althing, the world’s first parliament.

You can walk along the walk through the gorge where the contintents collide and look inside Þingvellir Viking church.

See also :  Were there ever black Vikings? The ultimate guide to Viking swords Famous Vikings you should know about DId Vikings have dreadlocks?

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Patriots NFL Draft grades 2024: What New England didn't do, and one thing it definitely got right

New england's draft mostly went according to plan.

By all accounts, the New England Patriots ' 2024 NFL Draft was a huge success . The Patriots kicked things off by acquiring their hopeful franchise quarterback before surrounding him with help at receiver and on the offensive line.

As great as the Patriots' draft was, there were a few things they possibly could have done better. Let's take a look at the biggest thing New England did not do during the draft, along with the one thing they definitely got right. 

Before we get started, here's a refresher of who the Patriots selected in this year's draft. 

New England Patriots

The biggest thing they didn't do .

Honestly, I thought it was a foregone conclusion that the Patriots were going to trade the 49ers their second-round pick in exchange for 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk , as reports were suggesting they would . But instead of trading for Aiyuk, New England stood pat and instead drafted Polk, an extremely talented wideout with loads of potential. 

Potential is the key word here. Polk may develop into a No. 1 wideout, but that's going to take time. Aiyuk, on the other hand, is a proven top-flight receiver who would have helped speed up Maye's development. As it currently stands, the Patriots are still devoid of a proven, clear-cut No. 1 receiver who can put fear into the hearts of opposing defenses. 

The Patriots still have time to do that, though, but the clock is ticking. Along with Aiyuk, the 49ers were also reportedly considering trading fellow wideout Deebo Samuel  during the draft. 

It's not the end of the world if the Patriots don't acquire a talented veteran wideout, though. They've got depth at the position and should be able to run the ball in 2024 better than they did in 2023 with all the additions they've made on the offensive line.

The one thing New England definitely got right 

We already alluded to the fact that the Patriots started the draft by addressing their biggest need: quarterback. While their old coach doesn't appear to be too big on the pick , Maye was the highest-rated quarterback still available when New England selected him No. 3 overall. And if Maye needs some time to develop, the Patriots can turn to Jacoby Brissett in the interim. 

Along with getting a quarterback, it was imperative that the Patriots surrounded him with some talent, given that New England finished second-to-last in the NFL in points scored in 2023. They did that in spades by drafting two wideouts and two offensive linemen with their next four picks. New England then pulled off a steal in the seventh round by selecting Bell, an extremely versatile tight end who should make things a lot easier for Maye. 

Let's circle back to Polk and Baker for a second. One of the things I like is that the Patriots drafted receivers who complement each other. Polk is a reliable wideout who is also known for his willingness to block. Baker is a playmaker who can stretch the field. His 21.9 yards-per-reception average in college was tops among this year's draft prospects. 

Some experts feel the Patriots reached when they took Robinson at the start of the fourth round, but I'm not one of them. Similarly, there also some people criticizing the Patriots' decision to select Polk instead of some other wideouts who were still on the board. Whether or not these were in fact reaches will ultimately be determined in the next few years. 

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Grading the Vikings, Giants reported trade offers to Patriots for No. 3 pick in NFL Draft

ESPN's Mike Reiss revealed the trade packages the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings offered the New England Patriots for the No. 3 pick. Let's grade both offers.

By Scott Rogust | Apr 30, 2024

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and some teams found their new franchise quarterback. As was heavily expected, the Chicago Bears used the No. 1 pick on USC's Caleb Williams and the Washington Commanders selected LSU's Jayden Daniels second overall. The intrigue really began with the New England Patriots , who held the No. 3 pick and opened up their phone lines for those interested in trading up.

It was heavily reported that the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants were trying their best to convince the Patriots to surrender their selection. Both had one player on their minds -- North Carolins quarterback Drake Maye, who had been a hyped-up prospect for years. But the Patriots were looking for an offer they simply couldn't refuse. They never got what they deemed was worthy of giving up the pick, and drafted Maye to be their quarterback of the future .

As for the Vikings, they moved up to the No. 10 pick to take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Giants, meanwhile, passed on quarterback altogether and selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick.

Now, ESPN's Mike Reiss detailed the offers that both the Vikings and Giants made to the Patriots. Let's hand out some grades.

Grading Giants reported trade offer to Patriots for No. 3 pick in NFL Draft

Let's start with the Giants offer. According to Reiss, the Giants offered the sixth overall pick this year and their 2025 first-round pick to move up to No. 3.

For the Patriots, this allowed them to not move too far back in the first round and potentially take another quarterback if they had them graded equally to Maye. The thing is, it's unknown if the Patriots viewed McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., or Bo Nix the same as Maye.

The thing is, even with this offer, it's still not convincing enough for the Patriots to take the remaining top six quarterback prospects after Maye. Perhaps a 2026 first-round pick would have gotten a deal done, but it's hard to fault the Patriots for turning down the deal.

That's not to say the Giants didn't try. Now, they have to wait until next year to find Daniel Jones' replacement...unless he has a great 2024, and the Giants repeat the cycle. Giants fans, pay attention to quarterback prospects next year like Georgia's Carson Beck, Texas' Quinn Ewers, and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

Giants trade grade: C-

Grading Vikings reported trade offer to Patriots for No. 3 pick in NFL Draft

The Vikings had more draft capital at their disposal. Before this year's NFL Draft, the Vikings acquired the No. 23 overall pick from the Houston Texans. With that and the No. 11 selection, Minnesota had the picks needed to make a jump up the draft board for a quarterback.

According to Reiss, the Vikings offered both of their first-round picks this year and their 2025 first-rounder for the No. 3 pick. But, Minnesota got a bit greedy with their offer. In addition to the third overall pick, they wanted two mid-round selections too.

Umm, Minnesota wanted to trade up, right? Why would they want more in return with the No. 3 pick. Maybe that priced them out. If the Vikings had made their initial offer for the No. 3 pick, maybe, just maybe, it would have gotten a deal done. Asking for more picks was asking for too much.

Luckily for the Vikings, they did land a quarterback. But will McCarthy be as good as Maye? That remains to be seen.

Vikings trade grade: B-

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Bills Rookie Keon Coleman Recreated Famous Wrestling Entrance in Hilarious Video

Buffalo's top overall pick is a big WWE fan.

• Author: Liam McKeone

The Buffalo Bills entered the 2024 NFL draft in dire need of a receiver after trading away Stefon Diggs and losing Gabe Davis to free agency this offseason. They found one in the form of Florida State wideout Keon Coleman , picking him with the 33rd pick. The young pass-catcher is an athletic marvel who can out-jump just about everybody but will need some seasoning at the NFL level to consistently create separation.

Coleman is also a delightful personality who immediately endeared himself to the Buffalo community. He spent much of his first Bills press conference consulting with reporters about where to find the best deal on a winter jacket. He is also a big WWE fan, as evidenced by a video posted by the team's official X account on Tuesday morning.

Coleman was taking a tour of his new workplace and was shown a cryotherapy chamber. Upon realizing smoke spills out from the chamber after exiting, the second-round pick insisted they turn all the lights off so he can reenact the Undertaker entrance.

Cue the @undertaker theme song. Exclusive look at @keoncoleman6 's first 24 hours as a Buffalo Bill: https://t.co/BKSM5nInIq pic.twitter.com/EP27JLiFXz — Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 29, 2024

What a fun and genuine moment. Tremendous video editing, too. Clearly everybody thought he was joking at first and then, boom, cut to them actually doing it. Great work all around.

The Bills clearly have a great personality in Coleman. He should be a resounding fan favorite in short order. The franchise has to hope that he's ready to deliver immediately, though. Behind the former Seminole the depth chart is worryingly thin and the biggest name is Curtis Samuel. Josh Allen is maybe the best do-it-all quarterback in the game but even he needs a bit of help sometimes. Coleman will be relied upon to produce as soon as he steps on the field.

We'll find out in September if he's ready to do so. Until then we can look forward to more Undertaker-themed videos. Hopefully.

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