This walk will take in the site of Calleva Atrebatum, a large and important Roman town that was abandoned by the 7th Century. We will be able to see some of the best preserved town defences in England as well as the remains of the amphitheatre.
The walk will start at Mortimer train station at 9.50am after the arrival of the 9.34am from Reading railway station. For those who are driving there is a car park at the station, £1.90 daily charge.
We will head south through the parish of Stratfield Mortimer, continuing across farmland to remains of the Roman Town of Calleva Atrebatum. The town of Calleva was first established in the Iron Age, between 20 and 10BC. The large Roman town Calleva Atrebatum developed from the mid 1st century AD onwards. We will be able to see remains of the town gates and defences. We will also be able to see the amphitheatre which is located just outside the town walls, with its distinctive elliptical shape, it was used for gladiatorial combat, wild beast fights and public executions.
We will then head towards Mortimer where we will stop in the Horse and Groom for a drink before the final mile to get back to the station to catch the train to Reading. Depending upon what time we get back to Reading, for those who are interested, the Reading Museum has a collection of items found from archeological digs at Calleva Atrebatum. (www.readingmuseum.org.uk).
Please bring with you a drink and a packed lunch.
For those that don’t have a Railcard, we will try to travel in groups to take advantage of the GroupSave discount – if you wish to do this, please meet at 9:05am prompt outside the Three Guineas pub and carry some change. The discounted ticket will cost around £3.05 (full price £4.60)
This walk is part of National Young Ramblers 2018. However, we would be delighted to welcome all people on this walk, whether you are attending our event or not.
Sat Nav: RG7 3NY or 51.3722 -1.0355
Grid Ref: SU672642