Bath/Poole RR - 4 September 2018 >

Bath/Poole Roman road south of Bath,  4 September 2018

Part 1

Steve,Martyn,Bev,Gavin

Whole of North Somerset was taken up by the route of the cycle race Tour of Britain, so we decided to abandon this area and check out an accepted road south of Bath (i.e. marked as a Roman road on the Ordnance Survey map). The road south from Bath pointing towards Poole (next to Bournemouth) has two marked sections on the map.

One section is just east of a hairpin bend on the road uphill south from Midford. In one field (picture 1 ) we saw the swell of a possible agger in the hedgerow with a linear depression in the field leading towards its northern side .  In the base of the swell of the hedgerow , a truncated section of a hump could be seen (pictures 2&3). On the other side of the hedge row where  the ground sloped upwards a deep linear hollow continued the line, appearing to form a cutting (picture 4). We did not go into this field to examine the feature more closely as it was occupied by a very frisky herd  of bullocks. So we had to be content with a view through the hedge row but this was enough to elicit “dramatic“ from Gav.

In the field to the north of the hump in the hedge row, Google maps appears to show the extension northwards as a faint line in the field (picture 5). No trace can be seen further  northwards either on the ground or Google maps, although a clear apparent terrace can be seen a few fields away to the north on the line (picture six).

Looking at Google maps, the Old Midford Road offers a seductive possibility for continuation towards Bath until it meets the Fosseway.

Pic 1. The hump in the hedgerow. The line on the left points to the linear depression.

Pic 2. The hump with Gav ensconced on top

Pic 3. close up of Pic 2.

Pic 4. The hollow in the field south of the hump in the hedgerow.

Pic 5. The line of the road visible in places on left of red line and also in field below ( the hollow)

Pic 6. The possible terrace in the hillside.