To Branodunum, a Roman Fort

About trip

Some time around ad 240-250 the Romans came to Brancaster and built a fort. It was square with a tower at each corner. Between the towers was a curtain wall about 10ft (3m) thick, and there was a gate halfway along each of the four walls. In addition to this, they added a wide ditch, so that any attackers would have to climb down it and up the other side - all the while bombarded with arrows and stones from the defenders above. They reinforced the walls by adding a rampart inside. The Roman Fort of Branodunum. The fort was quite large - about 6.5 acres (2.6ha), and was probably built over a site that had been levelled by previous occupants. Although it lies in a field that is about a mile (1.6km) from the sea today, when the Romans built it, it was right on the estuary. It was a fabulous location, because not only did it provide good access to the sea, but it was near the Peddars Way, an important line of communication in Roman times. By the 4th century ad, the civilian population that relied on the fort’s protection had moved away from Branodunum. The military settlement survived for a while, as the most northerly of the Saxon Shore fort systems designed to protect the Dalmatian cavalry against Anglo-Saxon raids, but eventually it was abandoned. You will not see much of the fort, except for some earthworks covered in vegetation, but walking around the field will give you an idea of its size. The fort is now in the care of the National Trust, which owns around 2,000 acres (810ha) of the coast, of which Branodunum is a part, comprising 4 miles (6.4km) of tidal foreshore. The entire region, with its salt marshes, mudflats and sand dunes, is a haven for wildlife and you might expect to see redshank, greenshank, sharp-eyed gannets with their dazzling white plumage, and the delicate common and Sandwich terns. Watching and waiting patiently for a chance to grab a sick, weak or careless bird is the Arctic skua, a fierce scavenger-predator, which is a summer visitor. When you are out in the marshes take the opportunity to stop, close your eyes and listen - to the hiss of wind in long grass, the muted roar of distant waves and the piping whistles of birds. The countryside is never completely silent and it is always a restful experience to hear the many sounds of nature. While you're there: Norfolk Lavender in nearby Heacham is one of England’s finest lavender farms. It is open all year and there is a shop and a tea room. In the opposite direction is Holkham Hall and its Bygones Museum, while closer to Brancaster is Wells-next-the-Sea with its charming narrow streets and Georgian houses. Next to it is Warham St Mary, which has handsome Renaissance glass in its church. What to look out for: Scolt Head Island nature reserve and bird sanctuary lies about 1 mile (1.6km) north. Where to eat and drink: The Jolly Sailors in Brancaster Staithe serves bar meals and has a restaurant, a sea view, and is open daily. There is a mobile sandwich van in Harbour Way, near the car park, which sells baguettes filled with local seafood. At Brancaster, the Ship opposite the church has a pleasant beer garden. Families are welcome, and there are bar meals and a restaurant. The post office sells ice creams and cold drinks. Directions: From outside Brancaster Staithe Sailing Club, take the Norfolk Coast Path west. Continue on the broadwalk to reach an information sign about the Branodunum Roman fort on your left. The salt marshes stretch out to your right, and in the distance, the clubhouse of the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, which you’ll pass later on. Cross a stile with a steel fence and concrete step. The path broadens out into a track - at the junction follow the signpost left for the Norfolk Coast Path. Pass the Church of St Mary the Virgin, and immediately after cross the A149 coast road. After a few steps, take Choseley Road, which forks to the right opposite the post office. It starts out as a narrow lane flanked by flint cottages and then by tall hedges. It bends at right angles, to the right, then left, to gain some height and enjoy panoramic views of the coast. Where the climb levels off, the track turns 90-degrees right, with a Norfolk Coast waymarker to keep you on track. Ahead you can see some farm buildings and a mobile phone mast, but before you reach them, turn right leaving the Norfolk Coast Path. You are now on a small, paved path, Chalkpit Road. At the crossroads with the A149, turn right. Walk along the lefthand pavement, and just after a speed de-restriction sign, turn left on to Gypsy Lane, a small welldefined footpath through woods. Walk through this tunnel of foliage, until it opens out to a coastal embankment, with Titchwell Nature Reserve (RSPB) to your left. Follow the embankment round to Brancaster Ford. Where you go from here depends on the tide. The main route goes ahead, off the embankment and following the path to the dunes and the golf clubhouse beyond. If there is water running over the ford, turn right and stay on the embankment. The main route skirts along the beach to reach a sandy track to the right of the golf club. Now follow the path south along the top of the embankment. At the end of the path, drop down to bushes and scrub before turning left on to a track. At the junction with a road which comes from the golf club, jink left and immediately right From here follow the Norfolk Coast Path back to Brancaster Staithe.