When people talk about Hadrian's Wall they usually mean the stone barrier across the neck of England, but the system continued down the Cumbrian coast for dozens of kilometres, as a chain of small forts, called milefortlets, and watchtowers facing the Irish Sea. Tower 16b, at Mawbray, was one of those lookouts, standing on the low, windswept coast between Silloth and Maryport. The Romans feared raids by sea, and a line of towers gave warning along the coast, with signals passing from one to the next.
The coast here is a long, quiet shore of sand dunes, pebbles and grassy banks, with views across the Solway to the hills of Dumfries and Galloway. Mawbray has a small beach and the remains of old sand workings, and Allonby, a few kilometres to the south, is a former Victorian bathing village with a wide beach where kite surfers gather on windy days. The wind blows hard off the sea, which explains the popularity, and the air smells of salt and seaweed.
Maryport, the nearest real town, was a Roman fort called Alauna, and the Senhouse Roman Museum on the clifftop displays a remarkable collection of Roman altars, found in a pit near the fort, dedicated to Jupiter by the commanders of the garrison. The harbour below is pleasant, with moored boats and a small maritime museum, and the town was a busy port in the days of coal and iron. Fletcher Christian, leader of the mutiny on HMS Bounty, was born nearby.
The coast road is an easy, relaxed ride, flat and open, with views of the sea and sometimes of the Isle of Man on a clear day. Surfaces are mostly good, though the wind and salt can leave sand on the road and wear the tarmac. Traffic is light apart from summer weekends, and sheep may wander. Spring and early autumn are best, and storms in winter can be spectacular.
Mawbray has little beyond a pub, so fill up in Maryport, about ten kilometres away, which has fuel stations and supermarkets, or at Silloth. A plate of Cumbrian fish and chips, a warming pie and a pint will do very well.