Roman Forts- Cawfields

About trip

A long walk along some of the best preserved and quietest sections of Hadrian’s Wall

The Emperor Hadrian gave orders for the Wall to be built in AD122, probably to act as a barrier that allowed Roman soldiers to control movements of people coming into or leaving Roman Britain. It is 73 miles (117km) or 80 Roman Miles long and took about 6 years to build. Milecastles: These were built very Roman mile along the Wall, with one of the best at Milecastle 42, Cawfields. Vallum: This runs parallel to the Wall and is a flat-bottomed ditch (in some places a double ditch) with a mound either side. Originally it could only be crossed at a Roman Fort.

Military Road (B6318): Built following the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 when the poor condition of the road between Newcastle and Carlisle prevented General George Wade moving his troops to stop Bonnie Prince Charlie’s march south from Scotland. A new road was built after the uprising was suppressed, and as been known since then as the Military Road or Wade’s Road.

Cawfields Quarry: More recent signs of man’s influence on the landscape can be seen in the former

Whinstone (dolerite) quarry at Cawfields car park, now a picnic area and haven for wildlife.