Vercovicium, the fort the Romans built here around AD 124, sits on a ridge with the wall running along its northern edge and the land falling away to the moors. You can walk the outline of the barracks, the commander's house, the granaries with their underfloor ventilation, and the communal latrines, the best-preserved Roman toilets in Britain.
It is run by English Heritage with the National Trust, and has a small museum. From the car park it is a ten-minute climb up to the fort, and from the fort the wall walk west to Steel Rigg is the classic stretch.