The Wall needed millions of dressed stones, and the Romans quarried them close to where they were needed. On Queen's Crags, a ridge of sandstone north of the Wall near Housesteads, they left a calling card: an inscription cut into the rock face, one of several known Roman quarry inscriptions along the frontier, recording a soldier or unit at work. It is a small, weathered thing, hard to find without directions, but it is a direct link to the men who cut the stone for the Wall.
Queen's Crags lies just north of the line of the Wall, across a boggy valley from the dramatic ridge of the Whin Sill. To the south is Housesteads, the best known fort on the Wall, perched on a slope with views over the countryside, and Broomlee Lough, a small lake below the crags. Local legend says that King Arthur and his knights sleep in a cave beneath Sewingshields Crags, a little to the east, waiting to be awakened by someone who blows a horn and cuts a garter with a sword. Another story says that the queen of the name, Guinevere, threw a stone at Arthur from these crags, and that it lies in the fields still.
The landscape here is wild and open, with moorland, bogs, crags and loughs, and big skies. It is one of the most remote parts of the Wall, and walking out to the crags involves crossing rough, wet ground. Curlews, lapwings and skylarks fill the air in spring, and the light on the crags in the evening is lovely.
The roads nearby are few: the B6318 runs along the Wall to the south, and minor roads lead north into the forests and moorland of Northumberland National Park. The Military Road is fast and fun but has blind crests and dips, and sheep wander onto it. The weather can change quickly, and fog and rain are common.
Haydon Bridge, eight kilometres away, is a small village with a shop and a pub, and Haltwhistle and Hexham have fuel and services. Housesteads has a café and a museum. Bring waterproofs and good boots if you plan to walk to the crags.