Ffordd Caerleon (Margary Number 60b)

Ffordd Caerleon (Margary Number 60b) was a Roman road running from the legionary fortress at Caerleon (Isca Silurum) in southeast Wales towards Cardiff (Tamion?) Roman Fort, serving as a key inland route connecting military and civilian settlements. Its path likely passed through Newport, including Bettws and Bassaleg, before continuing westward toward Cardiff. The road functioned both as a strategic military link for troop movements and as a conduit for trade and communication between the fortress and surrounding towns. Archaeological evidence for the route is fragmentary, but includes alignments of field boundaries, surviving aggers, and place-name references that preserve its memory in the local landscape.

The exact course of Ffordd Caerleon remains partly conjectural, particularly in urbanized areas where modern development has obscured the road’s original line. Coflein records suggest that stretches of RR 60b may extend westwards through Cowbridge, Neath (Nidum), and Loughor (Letocetum), possibly connecting with other Roman roads leading to Carmarthen (Moridunum. Milestone evidence, such as that at Platch-yr-Eglwys, further confirms the road’s historic use. Although many sections are now inferred rather than visible on the ground, Ffordd Caerleon illustrates the Romans’ systematic approach to linking fortresses, settlements, and the wider network of roads that enabled control of southeast Wales.

Sites near Ffordd Caerleon (Margary Number 60b)

• Croes Carn Einion Roman Villa (1 km)
  Villa
• Graig-y-Saeson (1 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort
• Coed y Defaid Camp (1 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort
• The Mount Hillfort (1 km)
  Iron Age Defended Enclosures
• Rhiwderyn Camp (2 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort
• Tredegar Fort (Gaer Hillfort) (3 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort
• Coed Craig Ruperra (4 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort
• Machen (5 km)
  Lead Mine, Mine and Minor Settlement
• Castle Field Camp (6 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort
• Twmbarlwm Iron Age Fort (7 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort