Why this ride
A 64 km round trip from Whitehaven - roughly 1 h 07 in the saddle. It goes by way of Rise How tower 25a, Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b and back through Rise How tower 25a.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Parton Roman fort and Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 64 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 07
- 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. 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
Parton Roman fort is where the day begins. Next is Rise How tower 25a.
2. Rise How tower 25a
Hadrian's Wall does not simply stop at the Solway. Beyond Bowness, the Romans extended their frontier down the Cumbrian coast with a chain of milefortlets and towers, watching the shore against raiders crossing from what is now south-west Scotland. Rise How tower 25a is one of them, on the low cliffs just south of Maryport near Flimby, part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site. Little is visible above ground, but standing here and looking out over the water, you can see why they bothered.
Read the complete Rise How tower 25a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Rise How tower 25a comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b.
3. Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b
When people talk about Hadrian's Wall they usually mean the stone barrier across the neck of England, but the system continued down the Cumbrian coast for dozens of kilometres, as a chain of small forts, called milefortlets, and watchtowers facing the Irish Sea. Tower 16b, at Mawbray, was one of those lookouts, standing on the low, windswept coast between Silloth and Maryport. The Romans feared raids by sea, and a line of towers gave warning along the coast, with signals passing from one to the next.
Read the complete Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 31 km into the recorded legs you reach Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b. Next is back through Rise How tower 25a.
4. back through Rise How tower 25a
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Rise How tower 25a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Rise How tower 25a, late in the day. Next is Parton Roman fort.
5. 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 at Parton Roman fort. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Parton Roman fort to Rise How tower 25a
Parton Roman fort → Rise How tower 25a is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Rise How tower 25a to Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b
Rise How tower 25a → Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b to back through Rise How tower 25a
Mawbray Sandpit tower 16b → back through Rise How tower 25a is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Rise How tower 25a to Parton Roman fort
back through Rise How tower 25a → Parton Roman fort is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.