TR: Mastiles Roman Marching Camp

Dave Fawthrop said:

Sunday being fine but freezing I thought something nice and easy and
not too high like Mastiles Lane was appropriate. Not having a Ranger
with me, like Geoff, I stayed off the tops. Parked on National Trust
Land near the Tarn. The snow was gone from over 90% of the moors,
but drifts 3 ft deep were still evident, with the snow hard packed and
crunchy.

Because there is a Roman Marching camp marked on the OS Explorer map,
http://www.brigantesnation.com/SiteResearch/Roman/Malham/Malham.htm
and I have walked many Roman forts, but never a marching camp, I
stopped to look for it. I stood in the middle by the National Trust
Notice thinking "Where the hell is it, I should be able to find it
without getting the GPS out". Eventually I saw a classic playing card
shaped NE corner outlined by snow drifts. Once found and looking
along the length of the earthworks they are easy to follow, looking
across the line they are more or less invisible. The earthworks are
still about a foot high and 90% complete, the corners being especially
well defined. I walked round all the fortification without
difficulty. The position of the camp across the Mastiles Lane shows
that the lane must have been a well used route well before the Roman
invasion.

If anyone wants to find it, go to the National Trust notice and walk 40
single paces towards Malham and look at right angles to the wall.
Otherwise if you have a GPS set waypoints where Mastiles lane enters
and leaves the camp and look at right angles to the wall.

So along Mastiles lane to Howgill, and a bite to eat with a mug of
drinking chocolate made with hot water from the flask. Well worth the
effort of carrying it. The weather was now closing in so I abandoned the
circular trip and came back along the Lane.

Sounds good, Dave. Even more fun in a 4x4 (-:

--

R
o
o
n
e
y

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 21:52:24 +0000, Rooney <[email hidden]> wrote:

| Sounds good, Dave. Even more fun in a 4x4 (-:

Should have mentioned motor vehicles and motor bikes are now banned.
http://www.traveldales.org.uk/news.cfm?category_id=62&id=76

The damage is still very evident, but hopefully will recover in a year or
two.

--
Dave F

Dave Fawthrop said:

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 21:52:24 +0000, Rooney <[email hidden]> wrote:

| Sounds good, Dave. Even more fun in a 4x4 (-:

Should have mentioned motor vehicles and motor bikes are now banned.
http://www.traveldales.org.uk/news.cfm?category_id=62&id=76

So Rooney can't trive his toy up there he he :-) He would probably
have got bogged anyway, I bet he's only got tyres suitable for tarmac
on it.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Phil Cook said:

Dave Fawthrop said:

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 21:52:24 +0000, Rooney <[email hidden]> wrote:

| Sounds good, Dave. Even more fun in a 4x4 (-:

Should have mentioned motor vehicles and motor bikes are now banned.
http://www.traveldales.org.uk/news.cfm?category_id=62&id=76

So Rooney can't trive his toy up there he he :-) He would probably
have got bogged anyway, I bet he's only got tyres suitable for tarmac
on it.

At the moment, yes - though they are fine in muddy fields and gentle
off-road stuff. When they need replacing I'll get something a bit more
versatile.

--

R
o
o
n
e
y

In article <[email hidden]>, Rooney
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dave Fawthrop said:

Sunday being fine but freezing I thought something nice and easy and
not too high like Mastiles Lane was appropriate. Not having a Ranger
with me, like Geoff, I stayed off the tops. Parked on National Trust
Land near the Tarn. The snow was gone from over 90% of the moors,
but drifts 3 ft deep were still evident, with the snow hard packed and
crunchy.

Because there is a Roman Marching camp marked on the OS Explorer map,
http://www.brigantesnation.com/SiteResearch/Roman/Malham/Malham.htm
and I have walked many Roman forts, but never a marching camp, I
stopped to look for it. I stood in the middle by the National Trust
Notice thinking "Where the hell is it, I should be able to find it
without getting the GPS out". Eventually I saw a classic playing card
shaped NE corner outlined by snow drifts. Once found and looking
along the length of the earthworks they are easy to follow, looking
across the line they are more or less invisible. The earthworks are
still about a foot high and 90% complete, the corners being especially
well defined. I walked round all the fortification without
difficulty. The position of the camp across the Mastiles Lane shows
that the lane must have been a well used route well before the Roman
invasion.

If anyone wants to find it, go to the National Trust notice and walk 40
single paces towards Malham and look at right angles to the wall.
Otherwise if you have a GPS set waypoints where Mastiles lane enters
and leaves the camp and look at right angles to the wall.

So along Mastiles lane to Howgill, and a bite to eat with a mug of
drinking chocolate made with hot water from the flask. Well worth the
effort of carrying it. The weather was now closing in so I abandoned the
circular trip and came back along the Lane.

Sounds good, Dave. Even more fun in a 4x4 (-:

Shouldn't that be IV x IV
--
Bill Grey
http://www.billboy.co.uk