The Stanegate is believed to have been built under the governorship of Agricola, from 77 to 85 AD, during the reigns of the emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.

When the Romans decided to withdraw from Scotland starting from around 87 AD,[4] the line of the Stanegate gradually became the new frontier and it became necessary to provide forts at half-day marching intervals.

[6] From Newbrough, the Stanegate proceeds west, parallel to the South Tyne until it meets the next major fort, at Vindolanda (Chesterholm).

From Vindolanda the Stanegate crosses the route of the present-day Military Road and passes just south of the minor fort of Haltwhistle Burn.

[6] From Brampton Old Church, the road crosses the River Irthing and continues southwest through Irthington and passes through what is now the site of Carlisle Airport, just to the north of the main runway.

[7] The curving corner of an associated marching camp can be made out from the air on the south edge of the runway near its western end,[8] and can be seen on Google Earth.

The Stanegate then continued through a large cutting in the village of Crosby-on-Eden, where a small fort has been postulated, based on marching distances, but has not yet been found.

LIDAR images show that the road carried on westwards for a further 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) to the Roman fort at Kirkbride overlooking Moricambe Bay, an inlet of the Solway Firth, where a large camp of 5 acres (2.0 ha) was found.