Originally Posted by
Ninthace
The Roman Empire had different northern boundaries at different times. I seem to remember that they settled on the line of Hadrian's Wall on the grounds anything north of there was not worth the effort. A sort of cost/benefit frontier based on bean counting.
Although not actually part of the Wall, the Roman Fort at the top of Hardknott Pass is a remarkable place. You can't help but imagine the lives of the soldiers who had walked, perhaps all the way from Rome, to be garrisonned in that remote, windswept spot.