HARDKNOTT		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History:

Hardknott fort lies in a spectacular place, high up in the Cumbrian mountains and on the road between the forts at Ravenglass and Ambleside, just below the brooding Hardknott Pass. The fort was built during the Hadrianic period (around 120 AD) and held an auxiliary garrison for a grand total of around 20 years until it was abandoned during Antoninus Pius' advance into Scotland and was never reoccupied. Due to this short life and the remote location of the fort, no civilian settlement ever grew up around the walls. Hardknott was believed to be the Roman Mediobogdum until 1995 when a new inscription at nearby Ravenglass confirmed that historians had associated that fort with the wrong name. This misunderstanding now shows that Hardknott cannot be the Mediobogdum mentioned in the itineraries and the name of this briefly-occupied fort remains unknown.

Occupation:

The fort was occupied for only two decades of the early second century by the Fourth Cohort of Dalmatians, an auxiliary unit of infantry, who were responsible for the building of the fort and the only garrison until the fort's abandonment.

Remains and Visit:

At the head of Eskdale, on a spur of land, Hardknott is the most spectacularly sited Roman fort in Britain and one of the best preserved. On freely accessible land just below the summit of the Hardknott Pass, the extra-mural baths are close to the road, with the fort itself a short hike uphill beyond. Apart from the baths, with still fairly high-standing walls, the fort itself has a complete circuit of walls, with gates and towers, still standing to a good height of up to six and a half feet and with the facing stones still in place. The gates of the fort are unusual in that none of them have guard towers flanking them. The lack of damage due to theft of stonework is evident in its state of preservation, there being little sign of civilisation for some distance around. The groups of barracks within the fort are not visible as they were constructed of timber, but the granaries and the headquarters building are consolidated and very visible. Some remains of the Commandant's house are visible, but not the entire layout. Up the slope from the fort, advisable only with good waterproof footwear) is one of the few well-preserved parade grounds in Britain. The large, flat area was levelled by the soldiers and a small raised mound exists at the edge from which the commander could review.

Images:

The extra-mural bath house	The fort from the west	The south gate
North east corner tower and walls	The granaries	Headquarters building	Aerial view & plan