The vallum between Oatens Bank and Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. The vallum between Oatens Bank

   Look south of the road near Oatens Bank, just west of Heddon on the Wall, and you will see it: a broad, flat-bottomed ditch running across the fields, with a low mound on either side. That is the vallum, and it is one of the strangest and most debated elements of Hadrian's Wall. It runs parallel to the wall, a short distance to the south, along most of its length, and it seems to have marked the rear edge of the military zone, controlling access from the south rather than defending against attack from the north. Crossings were limited to causeways opposite the forts, which suggests a kind of customs line.

   Read the complete The vallum between Oatens Bank write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The vallum between Oatens Bank is where the day begins. Next is Roman camp.

2. 2. Roman camp

   Hadrian's Wall in its central section does what a good border should: it picks the best ridge in the country and sits on top of it. The wall was begun in AD 122, under the emperor Hadrian, and it runs for about eighty Roman miles, roughly 117 kilometres, from the Tyne to the Solway. In the middle stretch, between Haydon Bridge and Haltwhistle, it follows a line of crags called the Whin Sill, a hard, dark volcanic rock that breaks the Northumbrian moors into a series of cliffs, so that the wall looks as if it grew out of the stone.

   Read the complete Roman camp write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Roman camp comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bewcastle Roman fort.

3. 3. Bewcastle Roman fort

   Bewcastle is one of the loneliest places in Cumbria, and it has been for a very long time. Roman soldiers built an outpost fort here, about ten kilometres north of Hadrian's Wall, on a plateau whose shape the walls followed, giving it an unusual six-sided plan. It was a forward base for scouts watching the tribes beyond the frontier, and it was linked to the Wall at Birdoswald by a road. Later, a medieval castle was built into one corner of the old Roman defences, and its broken walls still stand above the beck.

   Read the complete Bewcastle Roman fort write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 70 km into the recorded legs you reach Bewcastle Roman fort. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66.

4. 4. Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66

   The western end of Hadrian's Wall runs right through Carlisle, and the stretch counted as wall mile 66 lies on the edge of the city, close to where the wall crossed the River Eden. The Roman town of Luguvalium grew up here, and the fort at Stanwix, across the river, housed a cavalry regiment and was the largest on the wall. Very little of the stone wall survives in the city, much of it having been robbed for buildings, but the line of the wall and vallum can be traced in places, and the Tullie House museum tells the story of Roman Carlisle with excellent displays.

   Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Hadrian's Wall and vallum in wall mile 66, about halfway. Next is back through Bewcastle Roman fort.

5. 5. back through Bewcastle Roman fort

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Bewcastle 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 Bewcastle Roman fort sits at 138 km, about halfway. Next is back through Roman camp.

6. 6. back through Roman camp

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Roman camp write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Roman camp comes up about 170 km into the recorded legs. Next is The vallum between Oatens Bank.

7. 7. The vallum between Oatens Bank

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete The vallum between Oatens Bank write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The vallum between Oatens Bank closes the day.