Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1 and The vallum between the road to Garthside a
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
176 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 32
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Wallsend it runs 176 km to Wallsend; allow about 2 h 32 of riding. It goes by way of Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632, Stone circle, The vallum between the road to Garthside a and back through Stone circle. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1
Wallsend, the name itself is the clue. This is the east end of Hadrian's Wall, on the north bank of the Tyne about five miles from the centre of Newcastle, where the Romans built a fort called Segedunum to guard the river and anchor the frontier. The label's Wall mile 1 is a reference to the first stretch of the Wall measured from here, and the fort and the short section of reconstructed Wall nearby are the real thing to see. Wallsend is a working Tyneside town of about forty-three thousand people, and Hebburn, on the other bank, has a similar shape; both were built around shipyards and mines.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1 is where the day begins. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632.
2. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632
East of Hexham, the Roman frontier crosses gentler country, a rolling landscape of fields, hedges and small woods north of the Tyne valley. Here the Wall itself has mostly disappeared, its stones long since recycled into farmhouses, field walls and the eighteenth-century Military Road that runs along its line. But the vallum, the broad ditch with mounds on either side that marked the southern edge of the military zone, survives in places as a clear earthwork across the fields, and walkers on the Hadrian's Wall Path follow it for miles. This section is part of the same World Heritage site as the dramatic crags further west.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Stone circle.
3. Stone circle
Long before the Romans built their wall across northern England, people were raising stones on these moors. Close to the line of Hadrian's Wall, in the hills north of Haydon Bridge and Haltwhistle, a small prehistoric stone circle stands in the rough grass, a few weathered boulders arranged in a ring, probably dating from the Bronze Age. Its exact purpose is unknown, but circles like this were often used for ceremonies or burials, and many have legends attached to them.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 57 km into the recorded legs you reach Stone circle. Next is The vallum between the road to Garthside a.
4. The vallum between the road to Garthside a
Brampton is a small red sandstone market town at the edge of the Pennines, and just north of it, where the land rises toward the Irthing valley, a stretch of the vallum runs across the fields near Garthside. The vallum, the great ditch and banks that ran south of Hadrian's Wall, is often clearer than the wall itself in this area, because the stone of the wall was carried off long ago to build farmhouses, churches and even a priory. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site, and it is best seen in low light, when the earthworks cast long shadows.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1 closes the day.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1 to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632
Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1 → Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 to Stone circle
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 → Stone circle is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Stone circle to The vallum between the road to Garthside a
Stone circle → The vallum between the road to Garthside a is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The vallum between the road to Garthside a to back through Stone circle
The vallum between the road to Garthside a → back through Stone circle is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Stone circle to back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632
back through Stone circle → back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 to Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 → Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 1 is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.