Why this ride
A 305 km round trip from Ripon - roughly 4 h 05 in the saddle. It goes by way of Durham Castle and Cathedral, The Roman fort and back through Durham Castle and Cathedral. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of and The Roman fort
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 305 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 05
- 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
Durham Castle and Cathedral → The Roman fort
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 62 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 60 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of
Fountains Abbey is the largest monastic ruin in Britain, and it stands in a valley so green and quiet that it hardly seems real. In 1132, a group of Benedictine monks, dissatisfied with the lax life at York, left their abbey and sought a stricter rule, and with the help of the archbishop, they settled in this remote valley beside the river Skell. They became Cistercians, and over the next four centuries the abbey grew rich on sheep and wool, building a huge church, a vaulted cellarium, and a tower that still rises above the ruins. Henry VIII dissolved the abbey in 1539, and the roofs were stripped for lead.
Read the complete Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of is where the day begins. Next is Durham Castle and Cathedral.
2. Durham Castle and Cathedral
The river Wear loops around a rocky peninsula in a tight horseshoe, and on top of it, rising above the trees, stand Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle, one of the most impressive views in Britain. The Normans built both in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, soon after the Conquest, as a statement of power in the turbulent north. The cathedral is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, with massive columns carved with zigzags and spirals, and its stone rib vaults are among the earliest of their kind in Europe, pointing the way to Gothic architecture. Together, castle and cathedral were listed by UNESCO in 1986.
Read the complete Durham Castle and Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Durham Castle and Cathedral comes up about 93 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Roman fort.
3. The Roman fort
Down by the North Tyne, where the river runs fast over stones under a canopy of trees, a Roman cavalry regiment once kept its horses and its very comfortable bath house. Chesters, the fort the Romans called Cilurnum, sat astride Hadrian's Wall near the village of Walwick, guarding the bridge that carried the wall across the river. It is one of the best preserved forts along the wall, with the headquarters building, the commander's house and the bath house still standing to knee or shoulder height, and the remains of the bridge abutment visible on the far bank.
Read the complete The Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 153 km into the recorded legs you reach The Roman fort. Next is back through Durham Castle and Cathedral.
4. back through Durham Castle and Cathedral
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Durham Castle and Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Durham Castle and Cathedral, late in the day. Next is Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of.
5. Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of to Durham Castle and Cathedral
Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of → Durham Castle and Cathedral is 93 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Durham Castle and Cathedral to The Roman fort
Durham Castle and Cathedral → The Roman fort is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Roman fort to back through Durham Castle and Cathedral
The Roman fort → back through Durham Castle and Cathedral is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Durham Castle and Cathedral to Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of
back through Durham Castle and Cathedral → Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of is 93 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Component 2 and The Roman fort · 309 km