Tom Smith's Stone

Explorer Tom Whitley Castle near Alston has defensive banks and ditches so bold that I almost expect a Roman officer to ask why I am late for inspection. The fort, also called Epiacum, sits high in the North Pennines and takes an unusual diamond-like shape from the slope beneath it. I would never have got away with drawing that shape in a school geometry test. The stone fort was built to control a remote upland area, probably connected with lead and silver resources, though the details of Roman mining here remain under study. Its garrison may have numbered around six hundred. Unlike the rectangular plan of many Roman forts, Epiacum followed the knoll; its multiple ramparts still show the effort spent protecting this outpost. The Maiden Way Roman road passed nearby, linking it to the wider frontier system. Epiacum Heritage says the site and its walks are open without charge. It lies near Castle Nook a few miles north-west of Alston, in open country where the earthworks are the chief attraction. Come ready for outdoor walking, watch your footing and respect the farmland around the remains. The fort is not a rebuilt barracks or a room full of Roman objects; its visible banks let you read the military plan straight from the landscape. I imagine a legionary asking the quartermaster for a warmer posting and being told that the view counted as compensation. That is my invented complaint. The real surprise is how clearly these old defences survive. Walk their curves, glance towards the road's route, and see a remote Roman posting become a place under your feet.