Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road and Rudchester Roman fort

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road

   Between Hexham and Haydon Bridge, the river Tyne runs through a wide green valley, and on the ridge to the north the line of Hadrian's Wall can be traced across fields and woods in a series of ditches, banks and stretches of masonry.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road 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 the road is where the day begins. Next is Corbridge.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Rudchester Roman fort.

3. 3. Rudchester Roman fort

   Rudchester, known to the Romans as Vindobala, was the fourth fort along Hadrian's Wall counting from Wallsend at the eastern end. It sat astride the Wall on high ground west of Newcastle, with a garrison of around five hundred soldiers. Today, there is nothing to see above ground but fields and the bumps and hollows of buried walls, with a farm nearby. Excavations in the twentieth century found traces of a temple to Mithras just outside the fort, one of several on the Wall, where soldiers worshipped the god in a dark, cave-like building.

   Read the complete Rudchester Roman fort write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 35 km into the recorded legs you reach Rudchester Roman fort. Next is back through Corbridge.

4. 4. back through 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 through Corbridge, late in the day. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road.

5. 5. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road 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 the road. That is the ride.