All walks › Newport and the Gwent Levels
Newport and the Gwent LevelsCaerleon and the Legionary Fortress
One of only three permanent legionary fortresses in Roman Britain, with an amphitheatre, barracks and baths, and a riverside walk along the Usk.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 40
- Ascent
- 110 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
A loop from the village takes in the amphitheatre, the barracks and the baths, then follows the Usk before climbing to Lodge Wood hillfort.
Worth knowing
- The amphitheatre is the most complete in Britain and is free to enter.
- Lodge Wood above the town is an Iron Age fort, occupied before the Romans arrived.
- Tennyson wrote part of the Idylls of the King staying here, drawn by the Arthurian associations.
What you’ll see
The amphitheatre, barrack foundations, the fortress baths, and the Usk below.
Background
Isca was founded around 75 AD as the base of the Second Augustan Legion and held some five thousand men for two centuries.