Location Summary
Wooded area. Two large areas holding the site of Roman camps
Circular trail from the carpark to the camps. Viewing platform.
Website: MaltonMuseum
Car Park: Free
Fee: None
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Captain's Log
The Trail Is Well Signed
13/12/23
Damp Start
The forecast was for intermittent rain all day and so I decided to visit the Cawthorn Roman Camps ,near to my hotel in Pickering. The OS map showed the camps covering quite a large area and so I decided to go and peruse. The rain was less intermittent and more of the persistent kind as I drove there. It had rained overnight too and parts of the approaching country lanes held huge puddles. The site was in a wooded plantation and I was surprised that there was no visible signage at its entrance. I drove down a bumpy track for a couple of hundred metres and reached the carpark. There were half a dozen cars there and a couple of works minibuses. It seemed that some construction work was being carried out on the site's trail and the workers had escaped to one of the mini-buses out of the rain. As I started to put on my boots and weatherproofs, a convoy of cars and a mini-bus approached the carpark along the dirt road. Given the seclusion of the site, I was surprised it was so popular.
First View Of The Roman Camps
Cawthorn Roman Camp
There were two Roman forts Cawthorn, one with an extension and a temporary one built to an unusual plan. It dates from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Initially, it had been suggested that they were built for practice, rather than actual military use, although the latest theory is that they were actually active military installations.
I set off on a grit trail behind the couple of dozen people that had arrived in the cars and minibus. As I caught up the rear of their party, I could see that it looked like a group outing for adults that had some mental impairment. They had split into a 'fast' and 'slow' group and I overtook the slower ones. It wasn't long before the trail delivered me to the remains of the Roman forts. To be honest, apart from some deep ditches and high banks in the heathland, there wasn't a great deal to see. I'd guess that the site would be more impressive from aerial shots. The slightly elevated viewing platform was out of use and so I continued along the trail.
The Slippery Grass Trail
Slippery Slope
I heard a shout behind me and saw that a woman had fallen on to her side. We were on a grassy trail now and she must have slipped on the angled saturated grass. She didn't seem to be able to get up and so I went back to see if I could give a hand. The woman looked to be in her sixties and apart from groaning she wasn't able to communicate. She seemed so immobile that I thought she might have actually broken something, but she seemed to be able to move her legs okay. I think it must just have been the shock of falling. I couldn't believe that she was wearing rubber, summer plimsoles. No wonder she'd slipped over. Eventually, me and one of her friends managed to get her back on to her feet. The leader of the group turned up at that point from the forward party. Rather bizarrely, she had this expandable seat that was compressed into what looked like a large discus. I did wonder whether trekking poles and good shoes might be better equipment for a walk in the countryside. She asked if the lady wanted to sit down, but all she wanted to do was to return back to the carpark. The group led her off gingerly back to the grit trail that went back to the carpark.
I continued along the trail and overtook the 'forward' group. The second camp came into view and it looked pretty much like the first camp, with a series of ditches and banks
One Of The Camps
Return
The trail left the camp and headed back to the carpark through the tree plantation. As soon as I got back to the car the rain really started. I half expected to see the workers dashing back to their minibus for shelter. From the conversations going around me, it looked like my fellow walkers were now heading off to a café. I just hoped it didn't have a slippery floor.
Cawthorn Roman Camp isn't quite as spectacular as Hadrian's Wall or Vindolanda. It could do with a few information boards to give you an idea of how things may have looked. It is a remarkable construction though, given the tools of the time, and worth a visit...just make sure to take some trekking poles and some good walking boots.