Why this ride
A 156 km round trip from Brampton - roughly 2 h 41 in the saddle. On the way it passes Burgh by Sands Roman fort, Skinburness, Brownrigg North tower 21b and back through Skinburness. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Roman bath house to the north east of and Brownrigg North tower 21b
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 156 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 41
- 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
The Roman bath house to the north east of → Burgh by Sands Roman fort
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 24 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 24 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. The Roman bath house to the north east of
Brampton is the kind of small Cumbrian market town that riders pass on the A69 without a second look, which is a pity, because the country just north and east of it is some of the richest Roman and medieval ground on the whole Wall. The site of the Roman bath house lies close to the town, near the remains of an early fort on the Stanegate, and like most bath houses it sat outside the fort walls, where its furnaces and the risk of fire could do less harm. Little or nothing stands above ground, so come for the setting rather than the stones.
Read the complete The Roman bath house to the north east of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Roman bath house to the north east of is where the day begins. Next is Burgh by Sands Roman fort.
2. Burgh by Sands Roman fort
When King Edward I died in 1307, he was camped on the Solway marshes, on his way north to deal with Robert the Bruce once more, and the spot is marked by a monument beside the road near Burgh by Sands. Long before him the Romans had built a fort here, called Aballava, on a low ridge above the tidal flats, with a garrison of troops from the Moorish provinces of North Africa. Today the little village is spread along a single road, and its church, St Michael's, is built partly of Roman stone and has a defensive tower, a reminder of the centuries of Border raiding that followed.
Read the complete Burgh by Sands Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Burgh by Sands Roman fort comes up about 24 km into the recorded legs. Next is Skinburness.
3. Skinburness
Skinburness is a scatter of houses at the tip of a shingle spit on the Solway coast of Cumbria, just north of Silloth, looking across the wide, shimmering estuary to the hills of Scotland. When the tide goes out, the Solway empties into vast expanses of sand and mud, with channels winding through them, and the light changes constantly as clouds race overhead. On clear evenings, the sunsets over the Scottish hills, with the dark bulk of Criffel opposite, are spectacular.
Read the complete Skinburness 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 Skinburness. Next is Brownrigg North tower 21b.
4. Brownrigg North tower 21b
Most people think Hadrian's Wall stops at the Solway, but the Roman frontier did not simply end at the water's edge. Beyond Bowness a chain of milefortlets and towers ran on down the Cumbrian coast, watching the sea and the hills of Scotland across the firth, and Brownrigg North, tower 21b in the archaeologists' numbering, was one of them. There is little to see on the ground now, often just a gentle swelling in a field, but stand here and look west and you understand why it was put there: the Solway opens out, and on a clear day the Galloway hills and the Isle of Man line the horizon.
Read the complete Brownrigg North tower 21b write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Brownrigg North tower 21b, about halfway. Next is back through Skinburness.
5. back through Skinburness
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Skinburness write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Skinburness sits at 103 km, about halfway. Next is back through Burgh by Sands Roman fort.
6. back through Burgh by Sands Roman fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Burgh by Sands 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 Burgh by Sands Roman fort comes up about 132 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Roman bath house to the north east of.
7. The Roman bath house to the north east of
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Roman bath house to the north east of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Roman bath house to the north east of closes the day.
Leg by leg
The Roman bath house to the north east of to Burgh by Sands Roman fort
The Roman bath house to the north east of → Burgh by Sands Roman fort is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Burgh by Sands Roman fort to Skinburness
Burgh by Sands Roman fort → Skinburness is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Skinburness to Brownrigg North tower 21b
Skinburness → Brownrigg North tower 21b is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Brownrigg North tower 21b to back through Skinburness
Brownrigg North tower 21b → back through Skinburness is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Skinburness to back through Burgh by Sands Roman fort
back through Skinburness → back through Burgh by Sands Roman fort is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Burgh by Sands Roman fort to The Roman bath house to the north east of
back through Burgh by Sands Roman fort → The Roman bath house to the north east of is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
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