Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2 and Defended settlement and Roman signal stati
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
245 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 33
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 245 km to Wallsend; allow about 3 h 33 of riding. The stops in between: Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632, Stone circle, The vallum between the road to Garthside a and Defended settlement and Roman signal stati. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2
Hadrian's Wall begins, or ends, in a suburb of Newcastle, and it is a surprise to find it there. Wallsend, on the north bank of the Tyne, is the site of the fort of Segedunum, the eastern terminus of the wall, now surrounded by terraced houses and a metro station. A museum with a viewing tower overlooks the excavated remains, and visitors can walk along a section of reconstructed wall and see a full-size reconstruction of a Roman bathhouse.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2 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
The vallum between the road to Garthside a, about halfway. Next is Defended settlement and Roman signal stati.
5. Defended settlement and Roman signal stati
The South Tyne valley below Haydon Bridge is one of the best places in England to understand why the Romans chose this line. To the north rises the long whinstone crag, the Whin Sill, a hard dark rock that stands up in a series of cliffs facing north, and along its crest Hadrian's Wall once ran. South of it lies the valley, with the river, the old road called the Stanegate and a string of forts. A defended settlement and signal station here would have been part of this web, sitting on high ground where a fire or flag could pass news along the line in minutes.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 245 km.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2 to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632
Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2 → 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 Defended settlement and Roman signal stati
The vallum between the road to Garthside a → Defended settlement and Roman signal stati is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Defended settlement and Roman signal stati to back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a
Defended settlement and Roman signal stati → back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a to back through Stone circle
back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a → back through Stone circle is 30 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 2
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the B632 → Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 2 is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.