Burrow Walls Roman fort and Roman fortlet 40m SSW of Castle Fields

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Burrow Walls Roman fort

   On the northern edge of Workington, near the mouth of the river Derwent, a fragment of stone wall stands alone in a field, a jagged piece of masonry rising above the grass. It is part of Burrow Walls, a Roman fort that guarded the Cumbrian coast, one of the chain of defences that extended from the western end of Hadrian's Wall down the shore to watch for raiders crossing from Scotland and Ireland. Much of the fort's stone was reused in a medieval building on the site, and what survives today is modest, but it is part of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage site and has a lonely charm, with views over the sea and the river.

   Read the complete Burrow Walls Roman fort write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Burrow Walls Roman fort is where the day begins. Next is Bank Mill tower 15a.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 22 km into the recorded legs. Next is Biglands House.

3. 3. Biglands House

   Out on the Cumbrian shore of the Solway Firth, at the far western end of Hadrian's frontier, Biglands is a farmhouse name attached to the site of a small Roman milefortlet, one of the posts that carried the Wall's chain of defences down the coast once the stone curtain itself had stopped at Bowness. There is very little to see above ground; the fortlet was excavated and then returned to the grass. What you come for is the setting and the sense of standing at the edge of an empire, looking across a few kilometres of mud and water at Scotland.

   Read the complete Biglands House write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 54 km into the recorded legs you reach Biglands House. Next is Roman fortlet 40m SSW of Castle Fields.

4. 4. Roman fortlet 40m SSW of Castle Fields

   The Roman frontier did not stop where Hadrian's Wall ended. At Bowness, on the Solway shore, the stone and turf barrier gave out, but a chain of small forts, fortlets and watchtowers continued south along the Cumbrian coast, past Silloth and Maryport to near St Bees, to guard against raiders coming across the water from Scotland and the Irish Sea. Archaeologists still argue about how it worked. Often only a faint platform in a field remains.

   Read the complete Roman fortlet 40m SSW of Castle Fields write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Roman fortlet 40m SSW of Castle Fields, about halfway. Next is back through Biglands House.

5. 5. back through Biglands House

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Biglands House write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Biglands House sits at 101 km, about halfway. Next is back through Bank Mill tower 15a.

6. 6. back through 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 through Bank Mill tower 15a comes up about 151 km into the recorded legs. Next is Burrow Walls Roman fort.

7. 7. Burrow Walls Roman fort

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Burrow Walls Roman fort write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Burrow Walls Roman fort closes the day.