Wolsty South tower 13b and Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
231 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 19
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.
From Silloth it runs 231 km to Silloth; allow about 3 h 19 of riding. The stops in between: The vallum between the road to Garthside a, Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc and back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Wolsty South tower 13b
Hadrian's Wall gets the fame, but the Roman frontier did not simply stop at Bowness-on-Solway. Beyond the end of the wall, a chain of milefortlets and towers continued down the Cumbrian coast, watching the Solway Firth for raiders from the north. Wolsty South, tower 13b, was one of them, a small stone watchtower near Silloth on the low, windy coast. There is little to see today, often just a mark in the ground, but the site is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire listed by UNESCO, and its position tells a story: from here, Roman soldiers looked across the water to the hills of Scotland.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Wolsty South tower 13b is where the day begins. Next is The vallum between the road to Garthside a.
2. The vallum between the road to Garthside a
Brampton is a small red sandstone market town at the edge of the Pennines, and just north of it, where the land rises toward the Irthing valley, a stretch of the vallum runs across the fields near Garthside. The vallum, the great ditch and banks that ran south of Hadrian's Wall, is often clearer than the wall itself in this area, because the stone of the wall was carried off long ago to build farmhouses, churches and even a priory. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site, and it is best seen in low light, when the earthworks cast long shadows.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The vallum between the road to Garthside a comes up about 60 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc.
3. Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc
East of the crags the Wall country softens into the Tyne valley, a green landscape of meadows and woods, and near Corbridge you meet something the Wall itself never had: a town. Corbridge Roman Town, known to the Romans as Coria, grew up at the crossing of the River Tyne and the great north road, Dere Street, and served as a supply base for the army and a market for the civilians who followed it. The granaries and fountain survive, and a museum holds finds such as the famous Corbridge Lion, a sculpture of a lion devouring a stag. The label puts us on a stretch of Wall and vallum near Herd Hill, a few kilometres north-east.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 117 km into the recorded legs you reach Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc. Next is back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a.
4. back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Wolsty South tower 13b. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Wolsty South tower 13b to The vallum between the road to Garthside a
Wolsty South tower 13b → The vallum between the road to Garthside a is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The vallum between the road to Garthside a to Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc
The vallum between the road to Garthside a → Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc to back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the Fenc → back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a to Wolsty South tower 13b
back through The vallum between the road to Garthside a → Wolsty South tower 13b is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.