Ardloch Roman Fort
Just north of Braco, Perthshire, Scotland
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Ardloch Roman Fort is one of the many Roman forts in central Scotland some eighteen miles north of
the Antonine Wall across the Forth/Clyde valleys and at least a hundred miles north of Hadrian's Wall across
northern England.
It's just to the north of the village of Braco, north of Stirling and south of Crieff at the south-western end of Strathearn, not far from the southern edge of the Highlands. The River Knaik runs south along the western edge just outside the outer defences.
The fort, as you can see, was a semi-permanent construction of various earth walls and ditches which would have been topped with wooden fencing and defence platforms. Any buildings would have been wood and won't have survived the intervening two thousand or so years. It's also likely that as a marching camp the soldiers were accommodated in tents.
Two and a half miles to the north is Kaims Castle Roman Fortlet, a smaller version, photos linked to below.
Ardloch is about three hundred yards from north to south and hundred yards from east to west. A fairly substantial size and capable of housing as many as three thousand soldiers if needs be.
Like any advancing army the Romans had to be sure of their supply lines and feeding that number of soldiers would have been a major undertaking as they advanced even further north, ending up at the coast of Moray over one hundred miles away. Staging camps like Ardloch and communication lines were as vital as winning battles, especially in the face of hostile locals.
Accessible by the public, right beside the A822 on the north edge of Braco (both of which you can see in the photos.)
No tourist facilities, no signage.
It's just to the north of the village of Braco, north of Stirling and south of Crieff at the south-western end of Strathearn, not far from the southern edge of the Highlands. The River Knaik runs south along the western edge just outside the outer defences.
The fort, as you can see, was a semi-permanent construction of various earth walls and ditches which would have been topped with wooden fencing and defence platforms. Any buildings would have been wood and won't have survived the intervening two thousand or so years. It's also likely that as a marching camp the soldiers were accommodated in tents.
Two and a half miles to the north is Kaims Castle Roman Fortlet, a smaller version, photos linked to below.
Ardloch is about three hundred yards from north to south and hundred yards from east to west. A fairly substantial size and capable of housing as many as three thousand soldiers if needs be.
Like any advancing army the Romans had to be sure of their supply lines and feeding that number of soldiers would have been a major undertaking as they advanced even further north, ending up at the coast of Moray over one hundred miles away. Staging camps like Ardloch and communication lines were as vital as winning battles, especially in the face of hostile locals.
Accessible by the public, right beside the A822 on the north edge of Braco (both of which you can see in the photos.)
No tourist facilities, no signage.
