The Cam Beck is a small stream that tumbles out of the hills and runs down towards the Irthing, and the Wall crosses it near Banks, in a stretch where the line is still very clear. Here the Wall's visible remains run along a ridge, with the green bank of the Vallum behind, the long ditch that the Romans dug on the south side to mark the military zone. The label gives the place as the stretch between the Cam Beck and Newtown, in the east of Cumbria, and the walk there is among the easiest on the whole line, with open fields and distant views of the Pennines. The stone Wall was built on a narrower foundation here than in the east, and a turf Wall once stood alongside it.
Nearby is Lanercost Priory, one of the most beautiful ruins in the north of England. The Augustinian canons founded it in the twelfth century, and the builders used stone taken from the Wall, so the priory's red sandstone walls hold Roman inscriptions. The nave still serves as the parish church, and the ruined cloister stands beside it, with the green of the lawn and the curl of the river. King Edward I stayed at Lanercost for months in 1306 and 1307, running his government from the priory while he prepared for another campaign against the Scots. Naworth Castle, a short ride away, is a massive border fortress still lived in by a family.
The country is gentle, a valley of fields, woods and low hills, with red sandstone farms and old stone bridges. In spring, the verges are covered with primroses, and in autumn the beech woods turn gold. Oystercatchers and curlews nest in the fields, and red squirrels live in the woods, some of the few left in England. The air smells of cut grass and woodsmoke.
Riding here is a pleasure, with narrow lanes, quiet junctions and long views. The roads are mostly good, but gravel and mud on the corners are common, and the hedges can hide oncoming tractors. Brampton, three kilometres away, has fuel, a supermarket and cafés, and Wetheral and Scotby are further. May to September is the best season, and autumn is lovely.