Why this ride
A 53 km round trip from Hexham - roughly 48 min in the saddle. On the way it passes Housesteads fort, Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and and back through Housesteads fort.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Roman fort and Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 53 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 48 min
- 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. 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
The Roman fort is where the day begins. Next is Housesteads fort.
2. Housesteads fort
Of all the forts on Hadrian's Wall, Housesteads is the one that most people picture. It stands on the edge of the Whin Sill, high above the moors, with long grey walls running along the ridge on either side and an enormous view in every direction. The Romans called it Vercovicium, and from the road it takes about ten minutes to walk up the hill from the car park and museum to the gate, with the wind in your face.
Read the complete Housesteads fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Housesteads fort comes up about 13 km into the recorded legs. Next is Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and.
3. Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and
A Syrian archer unit once garrisoned this hilltop. Carvoran was the Roman fort at the junction of the Wall with the Maiden Way, a road that ran north towards Scotland, and at one time the cohors I Hamiorum, an auxiliary unit raised in the city of Hama in Syria, was stationed here, men who had marched or sailed across the empire to guard a wet, windy ridge in Northumberland. A bronze grain measure found at Carvoran, the Carvoran modius, carries a long inscription that mentions the emperor Hadrian, and it gives a glimpse of how the garrison was supplied. The fort is mostly a grassy platform now, but the position, on a ridge with views over the Tyne Gap, shows why it was chosen.
Read the complete Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 26 km into the recorded legs you reach Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and. Next is back through Housesteads fort.
4. back through Housesteads fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Housesteads fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Housesteads fort, late in the day. Next is The Roman fort.
5. The Roman fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
Back at The Roman fort. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The Roman fort to Housesteads fort
The Roman fort → Housesteads fort is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Housesteads fort to Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and
Housesteads fort → Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and to back through Housesteads fort
Carvoran Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall and → back through Housesteads fort is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Housesteads fort to The Roman fort
back through Housesteads fort → The Roman fort is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.