Gilsland is a village with a split personality. The boundary between Northumberland and Cumbria runs right through it, along the Poltross Burn, so the houses on one side are in one county and those on the other in another. Hadrian's Wall runs through it too, and the stretch of Wall, vallum and associated features around the village is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site. The Wall here crosses the narrow gorge of the burn and the railway line, with a milecastle right next to the old station.
In the nineteenth century, Gilsland was a spa, with a sulphur spring that drew visitors to a large hotel, and the village had a reputation for romance. Walter Scott is said to have proposed to his future wife, Charlotte Carpenter, at the Popping Stone, a rock beside the River Irthing just outside the village, in 1797. The stone is still there, though the original has been chipped away by souvenir hunters, and the story is told with pride.
The River Irthing winds through a wooded gorge below the village, with sandstone cliffs and pools, and the walk along the river is lovely, especially in autumn. The moors to the north are wild and empty, stretching towards the Scottish border and the Bewcastle Fells, a remote area with few roads and a famous Anglo-Saxon cross in the churchyard at Bewcastle, one of the finest surviving from the period.
For riding, Gilsland is a crossroads. The B6318 passes through the village, and minor roads lead north into the moors towards Bewcastle, narrow and twisting, with gates, cattle grids and sheep. The roads are quiet, but care is needed on the steep and narrow sections, and the weather can be harsh, with snow in winter and strong winds year-round.
Haltwhistle, about eight kilometres away, and Brampton, about eleven kilometres away, are the nearest towns with fuel and services. Gilsland has a pub, a tea room and a few B&Bs. If you have time, ride up to Bewcastle and see the cross, then loop back through the moors; the empty roads and big skies make it one of the most memorable rides in the area.