Ardunie Watchtower -and walk the Roman Road !




I am a keen dog  walker  and am fortunate  enough to reside in one of Scotland’s  most beautiful and historic areas . My Border Terrier “ Bo “ enjoys  the countryside and the chance  to explore ! Despite  the  variable weather we regularly  have  to contend  with , these ploys are great fun  ! 

One of our  favourite  jaunts  is to the Roman Watch Tower at Ardunie  near Trinity Gask .It is  approximately equidistant from Crieff and Auchterarder and some 7 miles  west of Perth . Let us , however  be quite honest- there is  no existing Tower - there is just a clearing  in the woods with  an excellent  series  of  descriptive boards  illustrating what Ardunie  was like a way back in the  early  days when it  was constructed around 70 AD  

OS Map showing location of Ardunie Roman Watchtower. 



Bo investigates the Romans !
The Roman Road
.
 Organic remains in the native settlements show no sign of being destroyed, while farming appears to have flourished.This is shown by the remains of pollen buried in the soil, which indicate that, soon after the Roman conquest, the numbers of weeds started to fall, suggesting cattle were grazing the land more intensely. 

The archaeologist leading the research ( Dr David Woolliscroft ) said: "You can tell from the number of weeds it was low-level grazing before the Romans arrived and afterwards more animals must have been raised, leading to more grazing. The surprise is how peaceful it all seems to be. Wherever we've looked, we've found peace, tranquillity and prosperity, which is not all what we were expecting."



The clearing in the wood where the watchtower was located 
The farm road was in fact the original Roman Road


Some 2000 years  ago when the Roman watchtower occupied  this site there would have  been few trees around .



The  fence is NOT to keep you out but simply protect the site from the  grazing roe deer that abound here !




The dark area is where the watchtower stood




"If it had been a bloody war of conquest we would have expected agriculture to go into decline because many of the farmers would have been killed, but we find it was flourishing." Dr Woolliscroft added their research suggests that the Gask line was built not to keep the Scottish nation at bay, but to protect their newly-found trading partners - the farmers - from roaming gangs of thieves sweeping down from the Highlands. 

Scots are by instinct a friendly , gregarious nation who have ventured around the Globe often in the pay of exploiters , often on a quest to seek fresh hope and a new home . 

An interesting observation on the Gask Ridge is that the road  connecting the forts and watchtowers was constructed on the north side and thus would have been exposed to attacks  from the " wild Caledonians " ! It would appear that our Roman "guests " actually lived in comparative harmony  with their neighbours !



Plan of the Gask Ridge  shown on the site board at Ardunie



The signage at Ardunie depicts what the watch tower would have looked like. 

.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise and Fall of Inchbrakie – The Story of the Graemes and Why A Great House Was Demolished and A Family Heritage Threatened

Image
Inchbrakie House The Inchbrakie story is one of the sad tales of the Strath. This ancient family once were one of the dominant influences in Strathearn and their names appeared with frequent regularity as the centuries unfold. The Graeme family of Inchbrakie are however still around. There is a most excellent web site http://www.inchbrakie.com/ which provides a superb source of research and information into not only the family but also their domicile up until the late 19th century at Inchbrakie . Anthony Graeme , a present day descendant and a most charming person , lives in far off Devon but is a frequent visitor here in Strathearn .Interestingly , there are here in Crieff,  a couple of roads bearing that illustrious name .One wonders just how many of the inhabitants of houses in those specific airts know much about the original name ! We are, however ,  most fortunate that the family history of the Graemes was painstakingly recorded in a book Orr and Sable – a bo
Read more

Glen Artney and Auchnashelloch : A Royal Forest and Comrie’s Highland Heritage .

Image
A number of years ago I purchased a  small booklet on Glen Artney in the book shop  that existed for  some years in Drummond Street Comrie. The author was the late Gordon Booth FSA , a superb researcher and accomplished author . He was not a local man since moving to the village  from I believe the Island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides. Since arriving in the area, he  had  read and assimilated much of the history and folk lore of this part of the Strath  .I recall the late Tom Weir ( of the woolly hat ) doing a programme in his Weir’s Way series on Glen Artney an d featuring Gordon Booth . Regrettably  all seven of his little books are out of print although they may be available to borrow through Perth and Kinross Library Service. I have incorporated partial excerpts from his  writings in this blog on the Glen which I duly acknowledge as a fitting tribute to his diligence . Glen Artney is some eight or  so miles in length from the former prisoner  of war camp at Cultybr
Read more

Feddal Castle, Braco

Image
Feddal Castle, Braco Introduction : The PerthshireCrieffStrathearn Blogs  have  been posting  now on local history and places of interest in the area for  over  10 years with well over  200 tales of  varying styles and types . This new  blog on Feddal Castle at Braco is of  special interest to me . It is the  first blog   by  my  son Nic and his  family . A team  effort if there ever  was one ! The buildings  have a fascinating  history and have  been comparatively  neglected  by other  local historians despite its proximity  to Braco and   ease of access . The standard of pictures throughout is  high and the script  informative ; Blog Team : Nic Mayall ,Caroline Mayall and Callum Mayall As a relative newcomer to Braco & Greenloaning, I am keen to explore some of the local history and learn more about the area. Braco is rich in history, being home to one of the best preserved Roman camps at Ardoch and also Braco Castle. My curiosity has been piqued more about the history we
Read more