Corbridge and Bank Mill tower 15a

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Corbridge

   Two thousand years ago, Dere Street, the Roman road heading north into Scotland, crossed the Tyne here, and a town grew up around a supply base just behind Hadrian's Wall. Coria, now called Corbridge Roman Town, was a bustling place with granaries, temples, workshops and a main street, and its remains, managed by English Heritage, are among the most important Roman sites in Britain. The museum displays finds including the Corbridge Hoard, a chest of armour and equipment, and the Corbridge Lion, a sculpture of a lion attacking a stag.

   Read the complete Corbridge write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Corbridge is where the day begins. Next is Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip.

2. 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 54 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bank Mill tower 15a.

3. 3. 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

   about 114 km into the recorded legs you reach Bank Mill tower 15a. Next is back through Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscrip.

4. 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 Corbridge.

5. 5. Corbridge

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Corbridge write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Corbridge. That is the ride.