Why this ride
212 km from Hexham to Hexham, about 3 h 15 of riding. The stops in between: Watchclose Roman temporary camp, Swarthy Hill North tower 20b and back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal and Swarthy Hill North tower 20b
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 212 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 15
- 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. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal
North of Hexham, where the land rises above the Tyne valley, the B6318, the military road built in the eighteenth century partly on top of Hadrian's Wall, runs straight across open country, and here, near the hamlet of St Oswald's, the remains of the wall and the vallum, the great earthwork that ran along its southern side, are clearly visible in the fields. The vallum was a broad ditch flanked by mounds, marking a military zone, and its scale still impresses. This stretch is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal 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 St Oswal is where the day begins. Next is Watchclose Roman temporary camp.
2. Watchclose Roman temporary camp
East of Carlisle, between the villages of Brampton and Wetheral, the countryside rolls gently towards the Pennines, with green fields, hedges and patches of woodland. Somewhere in these fields lie the faint traces of Watchclose, a Roman temporary camp, one of many marching camps built by soldiers on campaign or during the construction of Hadrian's Wall. These camps were enclosed by a ditch and bank and used for a night or a season, and today they are often visible only from the air or as slight undulations in the grass. Watchclose is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site.
Read the complete Watchclose Roman temporary camp write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchclose Roman temporary camp comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Swarthy Hill North tower 20b.
3. Swarthy Hill North tower 20b
Along the Cumbrian coast between Silloth and Maryport, the Roman frontier did not end when Hadrian's stone Wall reached Bowness. A chain of milefortlets and towers continued down the shore, watching the Solway for raiders arriving by boat, and Tower 20b near Swarthy Hill is one of them. It was a small stone watchtower, probably manned by a handful of soldiers, and what remains is a low outline in the turf above the beach. You come for the context and the view across the water rather than for the masonry.
Read the complete Swarthy Hill North tower 20b write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 106 km into the recorded legs you reach Swarthy Hill North tower 20b. Next is back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp.
4. back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchclose Roman temporary camp write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp, late in the day. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal.
5. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal 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 St Oswal. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal to Watchclose Roman temporary camp
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal → Watchclose Roman temporary camp is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchclose Roman temporary camp to Swarthy Hill North tower 20b
Watchclose Roman temporary camp → Swarthy Hill North tower 20b is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Swarthy Hill North tower 20b to back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp
Swarthy Hill North tower 20b → back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal
back through Watchclose Roman temporary camp → Hadrian's Wall and vallum between St Oswal is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.