North Wales Roads

Roman Road

The Roman road linking Chester (Deva) to Caernarfon (Segontium) was one of the most significant military arteries in North Wales. Modern scholars classify the main route as Margary 67a, which diverged from Chester and crossed into the Vale of Clwyd, running close to St Asaph, before bending towards Caerhun (Canovium) on the River Conwy. This fort was essential, guarding the crossing of the Conwy and acting as a supply base for troops moving westward. From there, the road tackled the uplands via the ancient track at Bwlch y Ddeufaen, a mountain pass still flanked by prehistoric standing stones that highlight its long-standing importance as a transit route. The Romans adopted this natural corridor to maintain high ground advantage before dropping back to the coast near Aber, continuing towards Segontium.

Along this road system, smaller forts and outposts strengthened the chain of control. Chief among these was Tomen y Mur, a fort and later Norman motte near Trawsfynydd, connected by the upland branch road Margary 67b. From Tomen y Mur, additional trackways radiated out to link with Meirionnydd, the Cambrian mountains, and further south towards Brecon, showing how Segontium was integrated into a broader military web. The Roman occupation of North Wales was never simply about one linear road; it depended on this network of feeder routes, with milestones, watchpoints, and marching camps ensuring the passage of troops, administrators, and supplies through an otherwise forbidding landscape.

Strategically, the Chester–Caernarfon corridor exemplifies the Roman approach to conquest in difficult terrain. Instead of following the coastal plain, as modern roads do, the Romans deliberately sought higher, defensible ground where their engineering could overcome obstacles and where the road itself became a line of dominance. This explains why Margary 67a and 67b threaded through upland passes and linked to sites like Tomen y Mur, not just for speed of travel but also to project power deep into Welsh territory. The presence of Segontium at the Menai Strait capped this strategy, providing Rome with oversight of the approaches to Anglesey—long seen as the spiritual and political heart of resistance. The road, in this sense, was more than a means of transport: it was the backbone of Rome’s military and administrative control in Gwynedd.

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