Long before the wall existed, the Romans ran a road across the narrow neck of northern England, the Stanegate, linking the forts of Corbridge on the Tyne and Carlisle on the Eden. It was built around AD 80, in the time of the general Agricola, and it served as the frontier line for a generation before Hadrian ordered the wall to be built a little to the north. Forts and fortlets sat along it, among them Vindolanda and the small post at Haltwhistle Burn, and temporary camps like the one at Milestone House show where troops stopped on the move.
The camp, like others in the area, was marked out by ditch and bank in a neat rectangle, and today its outline is a faint ripple in the grass. Milestone House takes its name from a Roman milestone that stood on the road, and the road itself is still partly followed by modern lanes. The wall and its famous crags lie a few hundred metres to the north, so a walk of an hour or two can take you across the whole system of frontier works, from the old road to the ditch, the wall and the vallum.
The surrounding countryside is high, open and windswept, with rough pasture, scattered farms and long views to the Pennines on one side and the Cheviots on the other. Haltwhistle stands in the valley of the South Tyne, and the nearby Haltwhistle Burn flows through a small wooded gorge. Curlews cry over the fields in spring, and the light changes constantly, from shadow to bright sun in minutes.
Riding here is open and enjoyable. The old Stanegate lanes are narrow, with farm gates and sheep on the road, while the main road along the valley is faster. Surfaces vary, with some rough patches and cattle grids, and in winter the high ground is icy. The best months are May to September. Weather can turn quickly, so pack waterproofs even on a sunny morning.
Haltwhistle, about two and a half kilometres away, is the nearest town of size, with fuel, shops, cafés and pubs, and Hexham has more. A plate of local Northumbrian lamb or a pasty from the baker is a good, plain lunch. Look for the information boards along the road, and spend a few minutes imagining the old road busy with carts, couriers and columns of marching men.