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Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu is a Roman military earthwork situated on the upland slopes of mid-Wales. The camp occupies terrain underlain by Upper Cambrian bedrock, comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of Tremadocian age, which creates the characteristic moorland landscape of the region. The site lies at an elevation where the underlying geology supports sparse grassland vegetation, typical of the Welsh uplands during the Roman period and today.
Practice camps were temporary or semi-permanent encampments used by Roman auxiliary forces for training manoeuvres and field exercises. Their regular rectangular layouts, bounded by ditches and ramparts, reflected the standardised military organisation of Rome's legions and cohorts. This example preserves evidence of those defensive earthworks, which would have accommodated soldiers practising siege craft, marching formations and other tactical skills essential for frontier warfare.
The site's location in the upland terrain between major Roman installations reflects the strategic importance of controlling the Welsh interior during the Roman occupation. Its preservation as an archaeological monument, protected by Cadw, ensures that the physical remains of Romano-British military organisation remain available for study and understanding of Roman military practice in Britain.
Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME260. View the official record →
Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu is a Roman military earthwork situated on the upland slopes of mid-Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME260.
Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu dates from the roman period, and is classified as a practice camp. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is ME260.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman Practice Camps 190m W of Llyn Hiraethlyn (3 km), Roman Road extending SE 650m from Llyn Hiraethlyn toward Glasgoed (3.3 km), Enclosed Hut Circle Settlement at Ffridd Bodyfuddau (4.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Roman Practice Camp 440m WSW of Braich-Ddu stands on Upper Cambrian, Including Tremadoc, bedrock that formed in the Tremadocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.