Epiacum Roman Fort

Eeeee I don't know what I was expecting like but this fort was canny disappointing. Maybe I was expecting too much as Hadrians wall is insane? There is nothing to see but some grassy lumps like. The dry stone walls did blow my mind though and the walk along the pennine way was beautiful, so many wonderful birds
Mar 27th, 2023

Visited on Weekend Wait time No wait More
Sep 23rd, 2022

Easy parking and a very good cafe on site run by the nearby farmer's wife! Great cakes.
Sep 3rd, 2022

Interesting fort built by the Romans around the second century AD in a defensive support strategy for Hadrian's Wall. Accommodating auxiliary soldiers it would have originally contained ten barracks, a granary, bathhouse, temple and no doubt superior separate arrangements for the Commander. Fragments of pottery, nails and beads have been found on the site which uniquely was re-enforced by a multiple system of earthwork banks and ditches, remnants of which can be seen today. Farm shop and cafe nearby to enhance the "visitor experience". A surreal feeling to be actually at a location were ancient military and social life now faded into distant history, once took place!
Jul 29th, 2022

I am pleased to see that this free but undervisited Roman site has finally received some investment so that it attracts a few more people with an interest in Roman Britain. Its historically a significant site in a brilliant evocative landscape with an unusual lozenge shaped fort earthworks. I walked over the ruins for 90 minutes on a gorgeous day but despite there being 15 vehicles in the cafe car park nobody else seemed to visit the fort. One observation, the site needs more interpretation boards in the fort itself to help visitors understand exactly what they are observing as some of the fort remnants are barely perceptible. I didn't visit the border rievers site as I couldn't work out the exact route to get up to it through the undergrowth. The money recently spent on Epiacum is a good start, but a little more work is needed to encourage visitors. Perhaps not a place to visit in poor weather due to its exposed location and no shelter.
Sep 3rd, 2022