Why this ride
207 km from Carlisle to Carlisle, about 3 h 34 of riding. It goes by way of Bank Mill tower 15a, Parton Roman fort, Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house and back through Parton Roman fort. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End and Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 207 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 34
- 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
Hardknott and Wrynose Passes
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 31 km this is Hardknott and Wrynose Passes, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 31 km
- Named road
- Hardknott and Wrynose Passes
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End
Out on the Solway plain the land flattens, the sky gets enormous, and the sea is never far off even when you cannot see it. The stretch of the vallum near West End lies between Carlisle and the village of Burgh by Sands, on the last run of Hadrian's Wall towards its western end at Bowness-on-Solway. Here the Roman frontier ran along the edge of the marshes and the estuary, where the tide sweeps in across vast sands and salt marsh. Nothing of the Wall stands above ground in this section, but the line is clear on the map, and the country around has a strange, quiet beauty.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End 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 West End is where the day begins. Next is Bank Mill tower 15a.
2. Bank Mill tower 15a
Hadrian's Wall did not stop at the sea. West of Bowness, the Romans continued their frontier along the Cumbrian coast with a chain of milefortlets and watchtowers, guarding against raiders who might sail across the Solway Firth. Bank Mill tower 15a is one of those coastal towers, set on the low ground near Silloth, and its remains are slight, though the logic is clear: from here, a sentry could see the whole estuary, and a signal could pass quickly along the line. The coast defences belong to the same UNESCO frontier listing as the wall itself.
Read the complete Bank Mill tower 15a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bank Mill tower 15a comes up about 39 km into the recorded legs. Next is Parton Roman fort.
3. Parton Roman fort
Hadrian's Wall stopped at Bowness-on-Solway, but the Roman frontier did not. Down the Cumbrian coast, the army built a chain of forts, milefortlets and towers to watch the sea and stop raiders slipping round the end of the Wall, and Parton, just north of Whitehaven, was one of them. The fort is known from excavations and records rather than standing remains, and the coastal defences as a whole are included in the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire. Standing on the cliffs above the sea, you can see why the Romans worried: across the water lie the Isle of Man and, on clear days, the hills of Scotland.
Read the complete Parton Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 73 km into the recorded legs you reach Parton Roman fort. Next is Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house.
4. 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
Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house, about halfway. Next is back through Parton Roman fort.
5. back through Parton Roman fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Parton 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 Parton Roman fort sits at 147 km, about halfway. Next is back through Bank Mill tower 15a.
6. back through Bank Mill tower 15a
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bank Mill tower 15a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bank Mill tower 15a comes up about 169 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End.
7. Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End 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 West End closes the day.
Leg by leg
Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End to Bank Mill tower 15a
Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End → Bank Mill tower 15a is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bank Mill tower 15a to Parton Roman fort
Bank Mill tower 15a → Parton Roman fort is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Parton Roman fort to Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house
Parton Roman fort → Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house to back through Parton Roman fort
Ravenglass Roman fort bath-house → back through Parton Roman fort is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Parton Roman fort to back through Bank Mill tower 15a
back through Parton Roman fort → back through Bank Mill tower 15a is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bank Mill tower 15a to Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End
back through Bank Mill tower 15a → Hadrian's Wall vallum between West End is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.