Why this ride
From Silloth it runs 73 km to Silloth; allow about 1 h 15 of riding. It goes by way of Brownrigg North tower 21b, Parton Roman fort and back through Brownrigg North tower 21b. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Wolsty North tower 13a and Parton Roman fort
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 73 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 15
- 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. Wolsty North tower 13a
Silloth is a small Victorian town on the Solway coast of Cumbria, built in the nineteenth century as a port and a seaside resort, with wide cobbled streets, a green along the seafront and views across the Solway Firth to the hills of Scotland. Just south of the town, at Wolsty, the Romans built a tower as part of the defences that extended Hadrian's Wall down the Cumbrian coast. Tower 13a was one of a chain of small towers and milefortlets, spaced along the shore to watch for raiders crossing the firth from the north.
Read the complete Wolsty North tower 13a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Wolsty North tower 13a is where the day begins. Next is Brownrigg North tower 21b.
2. 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 comes up about 13 km into the recorded legs. Next is Parton Roman fort.
3. Parton Roman fort
Hadrian's Wall stopped at Bowness-on-Solway, but the Roman frontier did not. Down the Cumbrian coast, the army built a chain of forts, milefortlets and towers to watch the sea and stop raiders slipping round the end of the Wall, and Parton, just north of Whitehaven, was one of them. The fort is known from excavations and records rather than standing remains, and the coastal defences as a whole are included in the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire. Standing on the cliffs above the sea, you can see why the Romans worried: across the water lie the Isle of Man and, on clear days, the hills of Scotland.
Read the complete Parton Roman fort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 37 km into the recorded legs you reach Parton Roman fort. Next is back through Brownrigg North tower 21b.
4. back through Brownrigg North tower 21b
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Brownrigg North tower 21b, late in the day. Next is Wolsty North tower 13a.
5. Wolsty North tower 13a
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Wolsty North tower 13a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Wolsty North tower 13a. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Wolsty North tower 13a to Brownrigg North tower 21b
Wolsty North tower 13a → Brownrigg North tower 21b is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Brownrigg North tower 21b to Parton Roman fort
Brownrigg North tower 21b → Parton Roman fort is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Parton Roman fort to back through Brownrigg North tower 21b
Parton Roman fort → back through Brownrigg North tower 21b is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Brownrigg North tower 21b to Wolsty North tower 13a
back through Brownrigg North tower 21b → Wolsty North tower 13a is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.