We were very excited to begin Leg 3 of the Antonine Wall – a turf wall built by the Romans in 142 AD which extended 37 miles across Scotland from Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde to the Firth of Forth.
We parked up at Callandar House before heading up the hill to Falkirk High train station and jumping on the train to Croy to begin our third leg of the Antonine Wall. It was another warm day as we climbed to the top of Croy Hill where both a fort, fortlet and two signalling stations had been, ideally positioned to communicate with the fort at Bar Hill. Just down the hill, one can see the towering metal sculpture of a Roman soldier’s head called Silvanus along with a replica distance slab featuring a prisoner captured by the Roman army, all part of the Rediscovery the Antonine Wall Project.
We ventured on past Westerwood fort and saw light aircraft taking off at Cumbernauld Airport before heading down onto the Firth and Clyde Canal. A little way along, we turned off the towpath and skittered down a steep banking to below sea level and found an arched tunnel that passes under the canal. This low, gloomy tunnel with water pouring down its sides was the only way to access the surviving stretch of the military way on the south side of the wall in Seabegs Wood. It is known locally as the Pend and is infamous in local folklore as in the 1820s stolen corpses were carried through it and stored in Seabegs Woods destined for the medical schools of Edinburgh and Glasgow! Today, Historic Environment Scotland offer ranger tours to explore the fantastic fungi, abundant all over the woods!
We retraced our steps back through the dark tunnel and onto the canal towpath before stopping for lunch at the impressive Rough Castle fort that housed a headquarters, commander’s residence, barracks, bathhouse and granary. This fort maybe the second smallest on the Antonine Wall but it is arguably the best preserved. You can also still see the intimidating defensive ditches which would have contained rubble and sharp stakes to deter raids from marauding Caledonians! These grisly pits had been used by the Romans for centuries and were nicknamed “lilia” meaning lilies, due to their resemblance to the flower with its protruding stamen. The Romans clearly had a very dark sense of humour with these deadly booby traps!
After exploring the rest of the fort, we continued on and passed the impressive Falkirk Wheel looking down at it from quite a height. This astounding feat of engineering allows boats to move between the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals in a matter on minutes. It is a huge structure but one which has elegance, allegedly inspired by the silhouette of a Celtic double- headed axe, a ship’s propeller and the ribcage of a whale!
We finally headed into Falkirk and ended our third leg at the replica distance slab set up in recognition of all the volunteers who took part in the Rediscovering the Antonine Wall Project, who have called themselves the 21st Century Legion to remember the 2nd, 6th and 20th legions who built the wall! The final leg awaits…….!
