Maiden Way
Bravoniacum to Magnis
The route
The Maiden Way ran north from the fort at Bravoniacum at Kirkby Thore in the Eden valley, climbed onto the high Pennines, and reached the wall fort at Magnis at Carvoran near Greenhead.
It crossed some of the most exposed ground any Roman road in Britain had to cover, holding above four hundred metres for long stretches over open fell. As well as connecting the Eden valley to the frontier it served the lead and silver mines of Alston Moor, which the Roman state worked directly.
The surveyed line
The Itiner-e survey maps Roman roads across this part of the empire, but attributes no segment to Maiden Way by name, so there is no measured line to draw here. The road is well attested by archaeology and by the modern roads that still follow it.
The road today
Essentially none. The A686 and A689 cross the same country but take different lines. The Maiden Way runs over ground that no modern road has ever wanted, and it survives largely because of that.
See also: which modern roads follow Roman lines, and how closely.
Where to see it
The stretch across the moor above Kirkland, climbing toward Melmerby Fell, is the classic one. In the right light the road shows as a pale ribbon running dead straight up the heather.
At the northern end, the Roman Army Museum at Carvoran sits at the road's junction with Hadrian's Wall, next to some of the best-preserved wall country.
Common questions
Why is it called the Maiden Way?
Most likely from the Maiden Castle fortlet on Stainmore, which the road passes. The medieval forms are Via Puellarum and Maydengathe, both meaning the maidens' road, so reading the name as untaken ground is probably a later rationalisation.
Why did the Romans build a road over such high ground?
Two reasons. It was the direct line between the Eden valley forts and the western end of Hadrian's Wall, and it served the lead and silver mines of Alston Moor, which were worked under state control.