The vallum and early Roman road between th and Burrow Walls Roman fort
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
207 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 53
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
207 km from Bardon Mill to Bardon Mill, about 2 h 53 of riding. On the way it passes Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl, Burrow Walls Roman fort and back through Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. The vallum and early Roman road between th
From the Military Road near Sewingshields, look south and you will see a long, straight scar running across the moorland: two mounds and a ditch, keeping pace with the Wall a short way behind it. That is the vallum, the great earthwork the Romans dug along the south side of the frontier to mark a military zone, and running alongside it here are traces of an early Roman road. This stretch near Housesteads is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site, and it is one of the places where the full layout of the frontier, wall, ditch, vallum and road, is easiest to read in the landscape.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The vallum and early Roman road between th is where the day begins. Next is Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl.
2. Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl
West of Carlisle, Hadrian's Wall heads out across flat farmland toward the Solway Firth, and the closer you get to the estuary, the quieter it becomes. Along this stretch, the wall itself has largely gone, robbed for stone over the centuries, but the vallum, the wide ditch with its mounds that ran behind it, can still be traced in places, and the line passes the sites of Roman forts and the civilian settlements that grew up around them. At Stanwix, now a suburb on the north bank of the Eden, stood the largest fort on the whole wall, home to a cavalry regiment of a thousand men. Further west, at Burgh by Sands, another fort lies beneath the village and its fortified church, built partly with Roman stone.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl comes up 61 km in. Next is Burrow Walls Roman fort.
3. Burrow Walls Roman fort
On the northern edge of Workington, near the mouth of the river Derwent, a fragment of stone wall stands alone in a field, a jagged piece of masonry rising above the grass. It is part of Burrow Walls, a Roman fort that guarded the Cumbrian coast, one of the chain of defences that extended from the western end of Hadrian's Wall down the shore to watch for raiders crossing from Scotland and Ireland. Much of the fort's stone was reused in a medieval building on the site, and what survives today is modest, but it is part of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage site and has a lonely charm, with views over the sea and the river.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at The vallum and early Roman road between th. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The vallum and early Roman road between th to Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl
The vallum and early Roman road between th → Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl to Burrow Walls Roman fort
Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl → Burrow Walls Roman fort is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Burrow Walls Roman fort to back through Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl
Burrow Walls Roman fort → back through Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl to The vallum and early Roman road between th
back through Hadrian's Wall vallum between the dismantl → The vallum and early Roman road between th is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.