Before Hadrian built his wall, the Romans controlled northern Britain with a line of forts along a road called the Stanegate, which ran from Corbridge to Carlisle, and Nether Denton was one of them. The fort, on a hill above the River Irthing near Gilsland, is now marked only by faint earthworks around the small church of Nether Denton, which stands on the site. It is a quiet place, with only rooks and sheep for company.
The Irthing valley is green and wooded, with farms, villages and the river winding through. Nearby, Lanercost Priory, an Augustinian priory founded in the twelfth century, was built partly with stone from Hadrian's Wall, and its ruins and church are well worth a visit. Gilsland, a few kilometres east, is a small village near one of the best preserved stretches of the wall, and Birdoswald Roman Fort, nearby, has a museum and the remains of a large fort.
The riding here is pleasant, with quiet country roads winding through the valley and climbing onto the moors. The A69 runs along the valley to the south, a fast main road, but the smaller roads are more interesting, with views over the valley and the hills. The roads can be narrow and muddy, with sheep and tractors, and the weather can change quickly.
The Stanegate forts were in some ways the first draft of the frontier. When Hadrian decided to build a continuous barrier a few kilometres to the north, the soldiers stationed in places like Nether Denton were among those who supplied the labour, and the wall followed the high ground while the old road kept to the valley. Walking up from the river you can still see why this hill was chosen: it commands the crossing and looks far along the Irthing in both directions.
Brampton, seven kilometres away, is a small red sandstone market town with fuel, a few cafés and an octagonal Moot Hall in its square, and Carlisle, twenty one kilometres away, has everything else, including a castle that has faced the Scots for nine centuries. The fort itself is on private land, but the church and the views can be enjoyed from the lane.