Dalveen Pass and Roman Fortlet, Southern Scotland

On the Dalveen pass in Southern Scotland there is an ancient Roman road that connects the villages of Elvanfoot and Durisdeer.

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The pathway remains remarkably intact as it winds through the beautiful purple heather and rocky outcrops glistening in the patchy sunlight.

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Hanging valleys stalk the lower Glen, where it is easy to imagine the lives of the people who travelled along this route over the past centuries.

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Imposingly positioned in the centre of the valley below there is an old Roman Fortlet, dramatically preserved.

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Some two thousand years ago there were, it is believed, two Centuriae (that is around 200 men) who would have used this fortification to control the surrounding trade and land in the valleys on either side of the pass. In Roman times the fortlet would have been built up with a wooden perimeter. It is possible to see the surrounding ditch and large entranceway. From up close the fortlet appears to blend into the surroundings.

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