Caerleon, Wales | The Romans were there, an ancient history nerds dream! 🗡️

About Caerleon..

Caerleon is one of only 3 permanent Ancient Roman settlements in Britain. With the others being York & Chester. They did not have one in Scotland, so it’s either that the local tribes were too mental & couldn’t be defeated or the weather was awful & Scotland wasn’t worth the hassle. As a proud Scot, I would suggest its the former. However, it is more than likely the latter 😂.

The area was initially inhabited by the Silures tribe, who for years fought against the Romans, resisting their rule.

Eventually the Romans took over & built out their legionary fortress in Isca, later named Caerleon. The historical sites here are remarkably well preserved, considering how long ago the Romans ruled! You can visit an Amphitheatre, Roman Baths, Barracks & the National Roman Legion Museum.

The city has a strong links to King Arthur & his knights, which is mentioned in a few different texts. The Arthurian legend lives on, although whether he was real & at Caerleon in the early centuries remains to be seen. However, with the Romans having already built & left behind so much useful infrastructure, it would make sense for Arthur to have been there a few centuries later. One thing is for sure, is it is a very cool city & I would loved to have been there to see it back in the day!

Story time 📚

Within the National Roman Legionary Museum there was a cool little mock soldier’s quarters. They have plenty of props you can play with, such as shields, swords & helmets. Being the man child that I am, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity & it was pretty quiet so nobody around. I get myself kitted up to the hilt ready for war. As I was trying to take a series of selfies, I was getting really into the mood to start fighting the enemies of Rome. Using the Gladiator speech I was ready for my vengeance on the murdered family wife & kids that I don’t have. As I began swinging the sword around a couple of children came into the little room & started laughing at me. Usually, I don’t get embarrassed, it’s all in good fun. However, I think they thought I was a worker there as they started asking me all sorts of questions about the Romans etc. I managed to just about wing a best guestimate of a couple of the answers, but I am no Maximus Decimus Meridius, that’s for sure!😂.

This story I really thought to leave out as it will lead to me taking some fierce ridicule from my friends, however when I heard they had a Roman Baths here, I’d thought they were actual baths that you could swim in. Especially considering the website for the place explicitly highlights that it is an indoor attraction. As you are probably guessing already, you can’t swim in the baths. I felt like a right wally stood at the ticket office with my towel & trunks. However, it is still an epic place to visit!

Although my post is about Caerleon, I must give a special mention to Usk, the Town of flowers. My friend’s got married there & it’s truly beautiful, if you are driving it’s a short trip & you can combine it with a day out in Caerleon. You can take the bus if not, but double check the times as they are pretty infrequent.

Some photos of the trip… 🤳🏼