Cycling Roman Britain
- Thread starter MontyVeda
- Start date
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flatflr
Guru
- Location
- Just over here
johnblack
Veteran
- Location
- South Northamptonshire
The A5 was a Roman road called Watling Street, running from London to Shrewsbury, I know there are still old parts of it left but it is a very grim place to cycle.
No idea why I put Hadrian's wall.FTFY
There's things called after Antonine all over this part of Scotland.
flatflr
Guru
- Location
- Just over here
Add in the climb from Great Shefford to the Ridgeway and coffee and cake at The Barn and it'd be perfect.I know the section of that route between Swindon and Newbury very well. It's a pretty well-known alternative to the motorway, so it does carry a fair amount of fastish traffic (guilty on many occasions). Also, it runs roughly parallel to the Lambourn Valley road which in my view is close to cycling perfection. A loop heading out on one and back on the other could be good.
Here's another idea, based on a Silchester/Salisbury/Winchester triangle. On the first two legs there are substantial sections where minor roads follow the Roman road courses. If you're happy to ride off-road you could probably follow them more closely. Between Winchester and Basingstoke I can't comment on the suitability of the A33/A30 for cycling. As it runs parallel with the motorway it may be OK, but without the Roman road factor there are certainly better ways.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31450222?beta=false
View attachment 492598
Mr Celine
Discordian
- Location
- Waxing my moustache
My local roman road is Dere Street which ran from York to Edinburgh. There is very little of it on tarmac north of the border apart from a short stretch of the A68 (not a good place to cycle) and the two miles or so north east from this point -
Note the line of trees pointing towards the site of the roman fort of Trimontium, named after the three Eildon Hills which can be seen on the horizon. Other sections of the route could be cycled on a MTB but much of the route is either lost or debateable.
Note the line of trees pointing towards the site of the roman fort of Trimontium, named after the three Eildon Hills which can be seen on the horizon. Other sections of the route could be cycled on a MTB but much of the route is either lost or debateable.
Aravis
Putrid Donut
- Location
- Gloucester
Strictly speaking Wayfarer's Walk starts at Inkpen Beacon, or possibly the Walbury Hill car park. The ancient hill-top track continues westwards uninterrupted for many miles but under different modern names, and I've included this in my route.
After a bit of digging I find that the Wayfarer's Walk name was invented in 1981, confirming what I thought, that no such name existed when I used to ride that way. So I invented my own.
flatflr
Guru
- Location
- Just over here
I only moved to the area about 15 years ago so only known it as that.
Do you have any more info on how rideable this off rd parts of the route is on a mtb bike
We have planned to ride from Melrose south to the redesdale/otterburn ⁷camps then east home to shields
We have done a couple scouting runs in winter on the route from chew green to tow Ford area ...this was mostly hiking with the bike as the usual wet base terrain of the cheviots prevented much riding
Any input on the terrain would be most appreciated..and it will not damper us any as the romans managed to walk it years ago in shoddy footwear so I'm sure a little bike and hike will be manageable
Thanks
Globalti
Legendary Member
Yes we have the same in Lancashire. From the top of Jeffrey Hill on Longridge Fell you can see a line of trees and hedges showing the Roman road heading straight towards Pen y Ghent on the far horizon. The Romans, not having accurate maps or GPS, just headed in the direction of a natural feature then once reached, selected another and headed that way.
I have also thought about riding the Icknield Way as my Mum and sister both live in Salisbury, which would make a good end-point. I was brought up in a village on the Lower Icknield Way and once snapped the rear axle of my Raleigh banging over the ruts of sun-hardened chalk on the Upper IW so have always had a vague idea about riding it properly.
Mr Celine
Discordian
- Location
- Waxing my moustache
Continuing north from Towford it's tarmac for just over 1km to Pennymuir. I've never yet walked or cycled the next 3km to the Five Stanes stone circle, but here is a pic of the five stanes looking south -
The roman 'road' is slightly darker green grass this side of the dry stane dyke on the right of the picture. From this point northward it's a slightly better defined grassy path for about 1km -
then becomes more of a track in between two dykes until you reach tarmac at Whitton Edge, where the road turns sharply west and from where the photo in my previous post was taken. From there it's a 3km downhill tarmac roller coaster which even has a blind dip - it has overhanging trees on both sides which as you descend hide the view of the up side of the dip - the road is straight, but only single track, though it is very quiet. At Shotheids the tarmac ends. I've never walked the next 3km to Cappuck. IIRC there is a footbridge at Cappuck over the Oxnam Water.
This is a photo from Ulston Moor looking south towards Cappuck -
The surface is like that all the way from Cappuck to Jedfoot.
From Jedfoot the road is 'lost' for 2km so follow the St Cuthbert's way footpath which crosses the Teviot on a suspension bridge. The next 5km to Hiltonshill Toll is a footpath which meanders back and forth along the line of the old road. This is looking north towards Lilliardsedge (monument on the horizon) with Eildon Hill North visible to its left.
And looking south from Lilliardsedge -
At Hiltonshill Toll the road becomes the A68 for about 2km to where the A68 turns right to pass through St Boswells. The line of Dere Street from there to Trimontium is lost.
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Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Much Roman Britain up my end. Many of the villages jn these parts were made with stone pilfered from the old Watling Street, and Towcester itself was originally a Roman settlement, Shitoledum I believe.
Grant Fondo
Guru
- Location
- Cheshire
Portway from Dorchester to Old Sarum runs through some particularly nice countryside, would be interested to know how much is rideable on and off road?
If you don't mind me asking how difficult was the walk, my wife is thinking of doing another Alzheimers Society walk.
If you want a challenging Roman road try try the A23 Streatham High Road.
mudsticks
Obviously an Aubergine
The walk was no challenge at all - physically.
But definitely worth doing for varied landscape, and history.
But then level of difficulty is all relative - I go on weeks long hiking trips in the High Pyrenees.
