Why this ride
A 226 km round trip from Silloth - roughly 3 h 25 in the saddle. The stops in between: Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip, Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac and back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Bank Mill tower 15a and Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 226 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 25
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Bank Mill tower 15a
Hadrian's Wall did not stop at the sea. West of Bowness, the Romans continued their frontier along the Cumbrian coast with a chain of milefortlets and watchtowers, guarding against raiders who might sail across the Solway Firth. Bank Mill tower 15a is one of those coastal towers, set on the low ground near Silloth, and its remains are slight, though the logic is clear: from here, a sentry could see the whole estuary, and a signal could pass quickly along the line. The coast defences belong to the same UNESCO frontier listing as the wall itself.
Read the complete Bank Mill tower 15a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bank Mill tower 15a is where the day begins. Next is Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip.
2. Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip
Beside the river Gelt, a small stream that runs through a wooded sandstone gorge east of Carlisle, a smooth face of rock bears an inscription cut by Roman soldiers some eighteen centuries ago. This is the Written Rock of Gelt. It marks the quarry where legionaries cut stone for the western part of Hadrian's Wall, and it records their work, with names and dates, in neat Latin letters that are still readable though weathered by the rain.
Read the complete Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip comes up about 61 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac.
3. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac
Just north of Hexham, the A road climbs out of the Tyne valley and meets the Roman frontier on a high, windy shoulder of Northumberland. Here, near Acomb, Wall and the crossing of the North Tyne at Chollerford, the line of Hadrian's Wall and its vallum runs across open farmland, sometimes visible as a low bank, sometimes followed by the road itself. Like every stretch of the frontier, it belongs to the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire, and this middle section is where the wall starts to feel serious, heading west into the wild central crags.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 113 km into the recorded legs you reach Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac. Next is back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip.
4. back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip, late in the day. Next is Bank Mill tower 15a.
5. Bank Mill tower 15a
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bank Mill tower 15a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Bank Mill tower 15a. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Bank Mill tower 15a to Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip
Bank Mill tower 15a → Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac
Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip → Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac to back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the trac → back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip to Bank Mill tower 15a
back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip → Bank Mill tower 15a is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.