Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 and Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66

   The western end of Hadrian's Wall runs right through Carlisle, and the stretch counted as wall mile 66 lies on the edge of the city, close to where the wall crossed the River Eden. The Roman town of Luguvalium grew up here, and the fort at Stanwix, across the river, housed a cavalry regiment and was the largest on the wall. Very little of the stone wall survives in the city, much of it having been robbed for buildings, but the line of the wall and vallum can be traced in places, and the Tullie House museum tells the story of Roman Carlisle with excellent displays.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 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 in wall mile 66 is where the day begins. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the fiel.

2. 2. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the fiel

   Here the Wall is at its most dramatic. In the central sector of Hadrian's Wall, north of Haydon Bridge and Hexham in Northumberland, the Roman frontier runs along the top of the Whin Sill, a long ridge of hard volcanic rock that breaks the moorland into a series of north-facing cliffs. The Romans built their wall right along the crest, using the natural defences, and the result is a line of stone that rises and falls with the crags like the spine of a great animal. Behind it, to the south, runs the vallum, a broad earthwork ditch with mounds on either side that marked the military zone, still clearly visible across the fields.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the fiel 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 fiel comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2.

3. 3. Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2

   Most people picture Hadrian's Wall striding across lonely Northumberland crags. Wall mile 2 is the other end of the story: an urban stretch in the east of Newcastle upon Tyne, where the wall ran from the fort at Wallsend, Segedunum, westwards along the north bank of the Tyne towards the bridge and fort at Pons Aelius, beneath today's city centre. Very little of the wall itself is visible here; terraced houses, roads and shipyards have long since swallowed it. But you are standing on the first miles of a frontier that once ran coast to coast for about eighty Roman miles.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 99 km into the recorded legs you reach Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2. Next is back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the fiel.

4. 4. back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the fiel

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

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

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the fiel, late in the day. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66.

5. 5. Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 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 in wall mile 66. That is the ride.