Why this ride
A 72 km round trip from Carlisle - roughly 1 h 26 in the saddle. On the way it passes Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med, Willowford Roman temporary camp and back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 and Willowford Roman temporary camp
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 72 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 26
- 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 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 Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med.
2. Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med
Brampton is the sort of small Cumbrian market town that makes a good place to stop for lunch without any plan to do so. A few miles east of Carlisle, in the green valley of the River Irthing, it has an octagonal Moot Hall in the market place, built in the early nineteenth century, and a main street of sandstone houses and tea rooms. Market day brings stalls to the square, and the town has the unhurried feel of a place that knows where it is. The old church that gives this stop its name stands outside the town, on a rise by the river, with the grass mounds of a Roman fort beside it.
Read the complete Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Willowford Roman temporary camp.
3. Willowford Roman temporary camp
Rivers move, and the Irthing at Willowford proves it. When the Romans built the Wall here, they carried it across the river on a bridge, and the massive stone abutment of that bridge survives on the east bank, now well away from the water, because the river has shifted west over the centuries. Nearby, the earthwork outline of a Roman temporary camp, one of many marching camps built by units on campaign or on construction duty, lies in the fields. Temporary camps were ramparts of turf and ditches thrown up for a few nights or weeks, and their faint shapes are often best seen from the air or in low winter light.
Read the complete Willowford 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 38 km into the recorded legs you reach Willowford Roman temporary camp. Next is back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med.
4. back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med, late in the day. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66.
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.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 to Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med
Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 → Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med to Willowford Roman temporary camp
Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med → Willowford Roman temporary camp is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Willowford Roman temporary camp to back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med
Willowford Roman temporary camp → back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med to Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66
back through Brampton Old Church Roman fort and the med → Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.