Introduction
This blog contains research about Roman roads and other old routes in northern Gwynedd, where I now live. I first learnt to read an Ordnance Survey map when I was about 6. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I crossed Margary RR14 at TQ35767332 every day in later primary and all of secondary school, to and from my grandmother’s home nearby. When I was 17 I worked as a volunteer at Lullingstone Roman Villa in Kent, so learnt some basic archaeology there. I met Ivan Margary once on-site, and started taking an interest in Roman roads, and communications generally, round about then. I bought the first edition of his two volume work, and must have read it pretty thoroughly over the years. My degree is in Latin, Greek, and Theology, including researching Byzantine liturgy, and my working life has been spent largely in childcare. Over the last 60 years I have walked many roads, Ackling Dyke in Dorset, Dere Street over the Cheviots, the service road for Hadrian’s Wall in some places, and lots of others. I’ve seen the Roman bridge at Piercebridge. But I am not a professional archaeologist, so I don’t have access to modern resources and techniques. What I am covering in the following pages is old-fashioned fieldwork, with some historical research and a smattering of modern technology. More to follow later.
