Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters and Maryport Golf Course tower 22a

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 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.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   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 The Stangate at Crosby Lodge.

2. 2. The Stangate at Crosby Lodge

   Before there was a Wall, there was a road. The Stanegate, a Roman route running east to west between the Tyne at Corbridge and the Eden at Carlisle, was the first frontier line in northern Britain, guarded by a string of forts decades before Hadrian ordered his great barrier built a little to the north. Near Crosby-on-Eden, a few miles east of Carlisle, the line of the old road passes through gentle farmland on the north bank of the Eden, and while there is little to see of the road itself, the landscape tells the story of how the Romans picked their way across this narrow neck of the country.

   Read the complete The Stangate at Crosby Lodge write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   The Stangate at Crosby Lodge comes up about 48 km into the recorded legs. Next is Maryport Golf Course tower 22a.

3. 3. Maryport Golf Course tower 22a

   Hadrian's Wall gets the fame, but the Romans kept watching long after it ended at Bowness. The coast of Cumberland, from the Solway to St Bees, was fitted with a line of forts, fortlets and watchtowers, each numbered in sequence, and Tower 22a is one of them. It stands on the cliff above Maryport, in a place that the golf course has swallowed, and what you will find is a modest earthwork or a marker rather than a standing tower. The Romans built Alauna, a fort at Maryport, on the high ground above the harbour, and the finds from it, a collection of seventeen carved altars buried in a pit, are displayed in the Senhouse Roman Museum in a former naval battery overlooking the sea.

   Read the complete Maryport Golf Course tower 22a write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 102 km into the recorded legs you reach Maryport Golf Course tower 22a. Next is back through The Stangate at Crosby Lodge.

4. 4. back through The Stangate at Crosby Lodge

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete The Stangate at Crosby Lodge write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through The Stangate at Crosby Lodge, late in the day. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters.

5. 5. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Hadrian's Wall and vallum between Chesters. That is the ride.