Maryport to Allonby

The seaside town of Maryport offers an amazing day of family fun. A bit of Roman history, some cycling on Hadrian’s Cycleway and ice cream rewards for all up and coming Bradley Wiggins’!

Morning:

Start with a visit to The Wave to collect your hire bikes and your copy of the Hadrian’s Wall Country cycling guide. We recommend that you pre-book your bikes. There are bikes available for adults and children.

There’s a little bit of road cycling at the start but thereafter it is on traffic free cycle paths, with only two road crossings to be careful at. You and the family will follow the newly completed Hadrian’s Cycleway as far as Allonby. Those with more than a day to spare can carry on all the way to Newcastle!

First stop is Senhouse Roman Museum, which houses a collection of Roman artefacts from the adjacent Alauna Roman Fort. Alauna Fort was part of Emperor Hadrian’s coastal defense network, extending down to Ravenglass in the Lake District. Lock your bikes up outside and explore the museum’s reconstructed watch tower (with new interpretation panels), providing you amazing views not only of the fort, but also the Lake District, Scotland across the Solway Firth, and the Isle of Man.

Keep pedalling till you get to seaside village of Allonby. Look out for five newly erected interpretation panels that will tell tales of smugglers, haaf netting and local wildlife to spot.

Grab some lunch – there’s pubs and tea rooms, fish and chip takeaways and famous Twentyman’s ice cream. Just keep telling yourself, you’ll burn it all off on the way back.

Afternoon:

Time to head home so turn your bikes south and start pedalling back the way you came.

Keep heading south following the seashore. Your afternoon stop is Milefortlet 21, the only visible milefortlet left along the Cumbrian coast. Part of the sea-facing defences, Swarthy Hill Roman Fortlet shows the defensive ditch and building foundations, and is next to the beach and 17th century saltpans.

Don’t forget to return your bikes to The Wave when you’re back in Maryport.