The Ham Nomads

4 May 2014. <GB-WLS> Caerleon, Newp; Cardiff —

Woke up to a sunny Sunday in Caerleon, in a layby on its northern outskirts. Took until about 10am before we made our leisurely start — we were only 5 minutes from our destination of the Roman Amphitheatre and Baths. Parked in the carpark of the Old Bull pub — 50p per hour Pay and Display, redeemable in the pub — seems fair!

Walked a block or so, followed a sign down to the old Roman Barracks, where the Legion was put up. Apparently the only extant remains of a Roman barracks in the whole of Europe! A rough count of rooms — about 96 rooms, each holding say 8 men, means accommodation for about 800 men. A whole legion is about 1000 men, so than almost accounts for the lot of them! The support areas — cooking & latrines are easy to recognise. The bathhouse we're visiting later would also be part of the legionnaires' lives, as would the amphitheatre.

We then walked down to a rugby field where a father & son match was under way. The kids wre relishing the opportunity to maul their fathers without recrimination! Turning back and setting off in another direction, toward the river Usk, we found the Roman Amphitheatre, the largest and most complete in Britain, excavated only in 1927. It had seating for about 6,000!

The Amphitheatre

Susie in the Ffwrwm

Merlin's Head

A Faerie Chair

Meandering back towards our van he happened on a little cafe — the 'Snug' Restaurant — in a little laneway which we entered because of its intriguing name — the Ffwrwm (the Welsh for 'a seat or bench', derived from the Latin 'Forum') — which contains a range of shops, the restaurant, and a sculpture park. The sculpture is renowned — much of it carved from tree trunks, keeping much of the natural shape of the trees. Caerleon has an annual sculpture festival, and this place is central to it! We had a late morning tea of coffee and Welsh cakes (a sort of flat sultana scone). Totally delightful.

Refreshed, we went back up towards the National Roman Legion Museum, which we found is not open till 2pm on a Sunday. With a little more time to kill, we learned of a car boot sale in a field just beyond the rugby field we found earlier. Went down for a look-see. Totally fascinating! Wandered around more looking at the people and taking in the atmosphere than shopping. Smelt hamburgers cooking, so our lunch plans were made for us! Wandered back to the van to relax and wait for the museum to open. Warren redeemed the Pay and Display for a Guiness from the pub, and Susie had another cuppa.

Outdoor (now indoor!)
Swimming Pool Display

Noticed the entrance to the Roman Baths just behind the carpark, so went in for a look around. This one was free entry. Must point out that the sites run by the Welsh Cadw (the equivalent of English Heritage) are half-price entry for first-year English Heritage members, and free thereafter, unless of course if they're already free like this one! The baths are a very good display — they were only excavated about 40 years ago, and only the outdoor pool and the frigidarium are on show (the rest is still under the carpark!) - but so well shown, with lighting effects and audio commentaries (in both English and Welsh). It really complemented our day at Wroxeter!

Barrack Room Replica
in the Museum

Then it was time for the National Roman Legion Museum. Free entry! The collection is superb, with numerous archaeological finds from the region, and also full recreations of a legionnaire's uniform and that of a standard bearer.

After almost an hour here, we set off for Cardiff. The person at the Caerleon Tourist Center suggested that today (Sunday) and tomorrow (a Monday Bank Holiday) we should be able to park in the council carpark at Cardiff Bay, a short walk from the Doctor Who Experience — which is what we are now doing. And we have phone booked for Doctor Who for tomorrow!

Distance driven — today, 20 miles ( 32 km ); to date, 641 miles ( 1,032 km )