Why this ride
A 109 km round trip from Newcastle upon Tyne - roughly 2 h 01 in the saddle. On the way it passes Roman fort, Rudchester Roman fort and back through Roman fort. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Roman fort and Rudchester Roman fort
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 109 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 01
- 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. Roman fort
Newcastle got its name from a castle built in 1080 by Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, but the hilltop he chose above the Tyne had already been used for centuries. Beneath the Castle Keep and the Black Gate lie the remains of Pons Aelius, a small Roman fort that guarded a bridge across the river near the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. The name honoured Hadrian himself, whose family name was Aelius. Outlines of the fort are marked in the paving around the keep, and the Swing Bridge below crosses the river close to where the Roman bridge stood.
Read the complete Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roman fort is where the day begins. Next is Roman fort.
2. Roman fort
At the mouth of the Tyne, on a rise above the river, stands a reconstructed Roman gateway that looks surprisingly new. It belongs to Arbeia, the Roman fort at South Shields, which supplied the soldiers along Hadrian's Wall and was built, strategically, to guard the entrance to the river. Ships unloaded grain and other goods here, and the stores were carried along the Wall's line, so this was the logistical heart of the frontier. Reconstructed buildings, including the gatehouse, a barrack and a commander's house, show how it looked, and the museum holds finds from the site.
Read the complete Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roman fort comes up about 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Rudchester Roman fort.
3. Rudchester Roman fort
Rudchester, known to the Romans as Vindobala, was the fourth fort along Hadrian's Wall counting from Wallsend at the eastern end. It sat astride the Wall on high ground west of Newcastle, with a garrison of around five hundred soldiers. Today, there is nothing to see above ground but fields and the bumps and hollows of buried walls, with a farm nearby. Excavations in the twentieth century found traces of a temple to Mithras just outside the fort, one of several on the Wall, where soldiers worshipped the god in a dark, cave-like building.
Read the complete Rudchester Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 56 km into the recorded legs you reach Rudchester Roman fort. Next is back through Roman fort.
4. back through Roman fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete 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 Roman fort, late in the day.
5. Roman fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete 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 Roman fort. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Roman fort to Roman fort
Roman fort → Roman fort is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roman fort to Rudchester Roman fort
Roman fort → Rudchester Roman fort is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Rudchester Roman fort to back through Roman fort
Rudchester Roman fort → back through Roman fort is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Roman fort to Roman fort
back through Roman fort → Roman fort is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.