Why this ride
269 km from Carlisle to Carlisle, about 4 h 06 of riding. On the way it passes Bewcastle Roman fort, Grindon School Roman temporary camp, Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank and Roman fort. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 and Roman fort
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 269 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 06
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 → Bewcastle Roman fort
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 34 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 31 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
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 Bewcastle Roman fort.
2. Bewcastle Roman fort
Bewcastle is one of the loneliest places in Cumbria, and it has been for a very long time. Roman soldiers built an outpost fort here, about ten kilometres north of Hadrian's Wall, on a plateau whose shape the walls followed, giving it an unusual six-sided plan. It was a forward base for scouts watching the tribes beyond the frontier, and it was linked to the Wall at Birdoswald by a road. Later, a medieval castle was built into one corner of the old Roman defences, and its broken walls still stand above the beck.
Read the complete Bewcastle Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bewcastle Roman fort comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Grindon School Roman temporary camp.
3. Grindon School Roman temporary camp
Marching soldiers did not sleep in the open. Every night on campaign, a Roman army dug a ditch and threw up a rampart around its tents, and the faint outlines of these temporary camps are scattered across Northumberland, some dating from the conquest of the north, others from the building of the Wall. The camp near the old Grindon school, close to the Stanegate a little north of Haydon Bridge, is one of these. You will need a good map and a low sun to make out its banks.
Read the complete Grindon School Roman temporary camp write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 68 km into the recorded legs you reach Grindon School Roman temporary camp. Next is Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank.
4. Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank
The road west from Heddon-on-the-Wall runs straight as a ruler, and there is a reason for that. The B6318, known locally as the Military Road, was built by General Wade's engineers after the Jacobite rising of 1745 so that troops could move quickly between Newcastle and Carlisle, and for long stretches they laid it right on top of Hadrian's Wall, using the Roman stones as foundation. At Oatens Bank, just beyond Heddon, you ride with the Wall beneath your tyres and the ditch and vallum still visible in the fields beside you, two thousand years of frontier engineering compressed into a few metres.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank, about halfway. Next is Roman fort.
5. Roman fort
At the mouth of the Tyne, on a rise above the river, stands a reconstructed Roman gateway that looks surprisingly new. It belongs to Arbeia, the Roman fort at South Shields, which supplied the soldiers along Hadrian's Wall and was built, strategically, to guard the entrance to the river. Ships unloaded grain and other goods here, and the stores were carried along the Wall's line, so this was the logistical heart of the frontier. Reconstructed buildings, including the gatehouse, a barrack and a commander's house, show how it looked, and the museum holds finds from the site.
Read the complete Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roman fort sits at 142 km, about halfway. Next is back through Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank.
6. back through Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank 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 from Oatens Bank comes up about 173 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Grindon School Roman temporary camp.
7. back through Grindon School Roman temporary camp
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Grindon School Roman temporary camp write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 201 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Grindon School Roman temporary camp. Next is back through Bewcastle Roman fort.
8. back through Bewcastle Roman fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bewcastle Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bewcastle Roman fort, late in the day. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66.
9. 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
The route ends here after 269 km.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 to Bewcastle Roman fort
Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 → Bewcastle Roman fort is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bewcastle Roman fort to Grindon School Roman temporary camp
Bewcastle Roman fort → Grindon School Roman temporary camp is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Grindon School Roman temporary camp to Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank
Grindon School Roman temporary camp → Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank to Roman fort
Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank → Roman fort is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roman fort to back through Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank
Roman fort → back through Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank to back through Grindon School Roman temporary camp
back through Hadrian's Wall from Oatens Bank → back through Grindon School Roman temporary camp is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Grindon School Roman temporary camp to back through Bewcastle Roman fort
back through Grindon School Roman temporary camp → back through Bewcastle Roman fort is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bewcastle Roman fort to Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66
back through Bewcastle Roman fort → Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
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