East of Carlisle, near the market town of Brampton, Hadrian's Wall crosses a landscape of rolling farmland, hedges and woods along the valley of the River Irthing. Here the wall and its vallum, the great earthwork ditch that ran behind it on the southern side, cross fields where the stone has mostly been robbed for farm buildings, but the earthworks remain clearly visible as long ridges and hollows in the grass.
The wall was begun around AD 122 on the orders of the emperor Hadrian, and ran about 73 miles from the Solway Firth to the Tyne. The vallum was a ditch with mounds on either side, marking a military zone behind the wall and controlling movement. Along this stretch, the wall originally was built of turf before being rebuilt in stone. A few kilometres east lies Birdoswald, one of the best preserved forts on the wall, and nearby the ruins of Lanercost Priory, founded in the twelfth century and built partly with stone taken from the wall.
The riding around Brampton is pleasant country stuff: narrow lanes between stone walls and hedges, gentle hills and occasional views across to the Pennines to the south. The roads are often damp, sometimes muddy from farm traffic, and sheep may wander onto them. To the east, the B6318, known as the Military Road, follows the line of the wall for many miles, built in the eighteenth century partly on top of the Roman foundations. It is fast, straight and undulating, with hidden dips that can surprise you, so ride with care.
Brampton, about five kilometres away, is a small market town with fuel, shops and pubs, and Carlisle, twenty kilometres west, has all services and a castle and cathedral worth visiting. The weather here changes fast, with rain and wind sweeping in from the west, so pack waterproofs even in summer. In late spring the hedges bloom white with hawthorn, and lambs fill the fields. Walk a little along the line of the wall and you will feel the scale of the Roman effort, and the loneliness of the soldiers stationed here.