Why this ride
A 387 km round trip from Carlisle - roughly 5 h 27 in the saddle. The stops in between: Stone circle, Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house and back through Stone circle. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of and Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 387 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 27
- 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 vallum between east side of
The Solway Firth, west of Carlisle, is a wide, shallow estuary where the Cumbrian plain opens out to the sea, and the marshes and farmland on its southern shore are the western end of Hadrian's Wall, with the Scottish hills visible on the far side. The land is low, wet and windy, with cattle in the fields and tall skies full of birds, and a visitor will find little that looks like Roman engineering until they look closely at the ground.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of is where the day begins. Next is Stone circle.
2. 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.
Read the complete Stone circle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Stone circle comes up about 54 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house.
3. Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house
Walls Castle is the odd name for a Roman bath house, and the building still stands to a height of about four metres, one of the tallest Roman structures in northern England. It stood outside the fort of Glannoventa at Ravenglass, a harbour station at the meeting of three rivers, the Irt, the Mite and the Esk, and in the dry shelter of the dunes it has survived because its walls were thick and well built. You can walk around it on a short path from the village, and see niches and a doorway in the thick walls. The fort itself lies mostly under farmland and the railway.
Read the complete Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 193 km into the recorded legs you reach Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house. Next is back through Stone circle.
4. back through Stone circle
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Stone circle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Stone circle, late in the day. Next is Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of.
5. Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of 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 vallum between east side of. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of to Stone circle
Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of → Stone circle is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Stone circle to Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house
Stone circle → Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house is 139 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house to back through Stone circle
Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house → back through Stone circle is 136 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Stone circle to Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of
back through Stone circle → Hadrian's Wall vallum between east side of is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.