The best cycling routes around Hethersgill

Everyday communications along Hadrian’s Wall would have been conveyed in a number of ways. Normally, detailed messages would have been by horseback. However, with the commanding views offered by Pike Signal Tower, it could also communicate with adjoining turrets either by smoke or by lit beacons using simple, predetermined codes. There is evidence that they also used a system of beams to transmit messages using a semaphore messaging system. It is a shame that very little is known of how the latter worked.

Well, we got here nearly at the end of our Hadrian's Wall hike for the day and had a bit of bad luck. Fancy turning up at one of the best Roman forts on Hadrian's Wall to be told it was closed because the wind was too strong and it might blow us off the wall. A place to come back to.

Award winning café in Gilsland. Closed on a Wednesday.

Along a quiet road west of Birdoswald Fort, you'll discover the Piper Sike Turret, a modest but historically significant structure from the early 2nd century. Also known as Turret 51A, this tower formed part of Hadrian's Wall and served as a lookout post for Roman soldiers guarding the northern border. Built around 122 AD, the tower is characteristic of the Turf Wall period, later replaced by stone. Inside, you'll find a raised platform against the north wall, likely used as a living space. Archaeological excavations have revealed cooking hearths and waste remains, suggesting brief but intensive occupation. The walls are still visible today, up to a height of approximately 0.8 meters.

Along Lanercost Road near Banks in Cumbria, you'll find the well-preserved remains of Leahill Turret (51B), a Roman watchtower built around 122 AD as part of Hadrian's Wall. The tower was fully excavated and consolidated in 1958 and is still visible today to a height of approximately one meter. Leahill Turret served as a staging post between Milecastles 51 and 52, providing Roman soldiers with a strategic vantage point over the northern border region. Inside, traces of a raised platform against the north wall and a later shelter structure against the south wall are visible, suggesting reuse in the 4th century.

A short climb away lies the remains of the Pike Hill Signal Tower, a 2nd-century Roman watchtower strategically located along Stanegate—the military road that preceded the construction of Hadrian's Wall. The tower was part of a network of signaling posts that allowed Roman troops to quickly communicate between forts and watchtowers. From this vantage point, you have a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. The tower's position, diagonally positioned relative to the Wall, demonstrates the ingenious design of Roman engineers, focused on maximum visibility and military coordination. During the construction of Hadrian's Wall, the tower was integrated between two turrets: 51B and 52A, near the fort of Banna (Birdoswald).

Banks East Turret, also known as Turret 52A, is one of the best-preserved watchtowers along the western section of Hadrian's Wall. Built around 122 AD on the orders of Emperor Hadrian, this tower was part of an ingenious network: two turrets stood between each milecastle, manned by a handful of soldiers who guarded the boundary. The tower is built of stone, even though the wall here was originally turf—a rare example of early Roman engineering. You'll find an impressive section of wall reaching 1.75 meters high at the tower itself. The site offers panoramic views of the southern landscape, while the northern terrain is higher—a strategic yet surprising choice.

Indeed, a lovely place to relax. Very hospitable and helpful staff. I can only recommend this place.