Why this ride
126 km from Bardon Mill to Bardon Mill, about 1 h 54 of riding. It goes by way of Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp, Haltonchesters Roman fort, Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road and Corbridge.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Vindolanda and Corbridge
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 126 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 54
- 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.
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. Vindolanda
Vindolanda is the place where the Romans on the northern frontier start to sound like people. The fort stood on the Stanegate road, just south of the wall, and for several centuries it was rebuilt again and again, each new fort laid on top of the last. The damp, airless soil preserved wood and leather, and in 1973 archaeologists found thin wooden writing tablets covered in ink, letters written by soldiers, officers and their families in about AD 100. They are the oldest handwritten documents found in Britain.
Read the complete Vindolanda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Vindolanda is where the day begins. Next is Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp.
2. Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp
Limestone Corner is the most northerly point on Hadrian's Wall, and it is famous for a job left unfinished. The Romans dug a defensive ditch in front of the Wall along most of its length, but here they hit a band of hard whinstone, and after cutting some of the huge blocks free and splitting others with wedges, they simply gave up. The blocks still lie where they were left, some with the holes for the wedges visible, nearly nineteen centuries later. Nearby, the earthworks of a Roman temporary camp, where troops on the move once pitched their tents behind a ditch and bank, are part of the same Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site.
Read the complete Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp comes up 17 km in. Next is Haltonchesters Roman fort.
3. Haltonchesters Roman fort
Where Dere Street, the great Roman road north from York, met Hadrian's Wall, the Romans built a gateway, and a mile or so west of it they placed the fort of Haltonchesters, known to them as Onnum. Today the site is a grassy field on the edge of the Military Road above the Tyne valley, with little to see beyond the faint outline of ramparts. But the setting is the thing: rolling Northumberland farmland, stone walls, the Tyne below, and on a clear day views far to the north and south.
Read the complete Haltonchesters Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
34 km in you reach Haltonchesters Roman fort. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road.
4. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road
Between Hexham and Haydon Bridge, the river Tyne runs through a wide green valley, and on the ridge to the north the line of Hadrian's Wall can be traced across fields and woods in a series of ditches, banks and stretches of masonry.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road 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 between the road, about halfway. Next is Corbridge.
5. Corbridge
Two thousand years ago, Dere Street, the Roman road heading north into Scotland, crossed the Tyne here, and a town grew up around a supply base just behind Hadrian's Wall. Coria, now called Corbridge Roman Town, was a bustling place with granaries, temples, workshops and a main street, and its remains, managed by English Heritage, are among the most important Roman sites in Britain. The museum displays finds including the Corbridge Hoard, a chest of armour and equipment, and the Corbridge Lion, a sculpture of a lion attacking a stag.
Read the complete Corbridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Corbridge sits at 68 km, about halfway. Next is back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road.
6. back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road comes up 84 km in. Next is back through Haltonchesters Roman fort.
7. back through Haltonchesters Roman fort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Haltonchesters Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
101 km in you reach back through Haltonchesters Roman fort. Next is back through Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp.
8. back through Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp, late in the day. Next is Vindolanda.
9. Vindolanda
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Vindolanda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 126 km.
Leg by leg
Vindolanda to Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp
Vindolanda → Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp to Haltonchesters Roman fort
Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp → Haltonchesters Roman fort is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Haltonchesters Roman fort to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road
Haltonchesters Roman fort → Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road to Corbridge
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road → Corbridge is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Corbridge to back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road
Corbridge → back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road to back through Haltonchesters Roman fort
back through Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road → back through Haltonchesters Roman fort is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Haltonchesters Roman fort to back through Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp
back through Haltonchesters Roman fort → back through Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp to Vindolanda
back through Limestone Corner Roman temporary camp → Vindolanda is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.