Haltwhistle likes to call itself the centre of Britain, a claim measured with some creativity, and it is certainly the middle of Hadrian's Wall country, a small market town on the South Tyne where the river valley narrows between the Pennines and the Wall crags. Lees Hall Roman camp is one of the temporary camps the army threw up while building the Wall or on campaign, a rectangle of bank and ditch now softened by grass. These marching camps were quick, practical affairs, ploughed flat in many places, and what survives is mostly a faint earthwork seen best in low evening light.
The ride into this country is among the best in England. The old Military Road, now the B6318, follows the line of the Wall along the high ridge, rising and falling in long, bold sweeps with wide views north into Northumberland's empty moorland and south toward the Tyne valley. It is a surprisingly fast road in places, with blind crests and tight bends, so respect the limits and the sheep. Weather is changeable, and the ridge catches the wind, so bring layers. Spring and early autumn are best, with long light and quieter roads, while summer weekends bring caravans and coach parties.
Haltwhistle, a mile and a half off, has under four thousand people and the fuel and food the area needs, including a couple of decent pubs and bakeries. Hexham, over twenty kilometres east, is the bigger town. Haltwhistle also holds a fine collection of fortified farmhouses called bastles, built in the sixteenth century for protection against Border reivers, the raiders who plagued the frontier for centuries. Near Greenhead, a few kilometres west, the Roman Army Museum explains how the garrison lived, and the crags at Walltown give the best views.
If you want a quiet moment, stop where the Wall climbs a ridge and look back over the valley. The scene would have been recognisable to a Roman sentry, with the hills rolling away and the sky enormous. Then listen. On a still evening you will hear only curlews, the wind in the grass and, perhaps, a distant sheep complaining.