Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters and Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
139 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 00
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Hexham it runs 139 km to Hexham; allow about 2 h 00 of riding. It goes by way of Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road, Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi, Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp and back through Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters
The North Tyne comes down from the Kielder hills and the empty moorland of the border, and at Chollerford it passes beneath an old stone bridge on its way to meet the South Tyne near Hexham. Just west of the bridge, the Wall strides away uphill from Chesters fort, and this stretch, with the Wall and the vallum running together across farmland and woods, is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters is where the day begins. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road.
2. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road
Around Haltwhistle the wall climbs on to the Whin Sill, a hard ridge of dark volcanic rock that runs across northern England like a spine, and the effect is among the most dramatic on the whole frontier. The wall rides the crest of crags, rising and falling over the rock, with a steep drop to the north and long views over moorland, and the Roman engineers made full use of the natural defence. The vallum, a broad flat-bottomed ditch with mounds on either side, runs in the valley to the south, and it marks the boundary of the military zone behind the wall.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road comes up 25 km in. Next is Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi.
3. Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi
The Emperor Hadrian visited Britain in AD 122 and ordered a wall built from coast to coast, and the soldiers who did the work left their marks in stone that still stands across the north of England. The section near Brampton, in Cumbria, lies toward the western end of the Wall, where it crossed gentler country toward Carlisle and the Solway Firth. Here the Wall was first built partly in turf and later rebuilt in stone, and the remains of turrets, milecastles and the ditch can still be traced in the fields. Hadrian's Wall is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
49 km in you reach Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi. Next is Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp.
4. Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp
Haltwhistle likes to call itself the centre of Britain, a claim measured, by one method or another, from the farthest tips of the island, and it does sit in the narrow waist of the country, between the North Sea and the Irish Sea. The town, with about four thousand people, lies in the South Tyne valley, just south of Hadrian's Wall, and it is a good base for exploring the central section of the frontier.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters closes the day.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters → Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road to Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road → Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi to Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp
Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi → Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp to back through Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi
Haltwhistle Burn 1 Roman temporary camp → back through Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi to back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road
back through Hadrian's Wall between the road to Garthsi → back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road → Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.