Bothwellhaugh Roman Fort, North Lanarkshire, United Kingdom

Bothwellhaugh Roman Fort is a site now located within Strathclyde Country Park in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The fort is likely to have been linked by roads to sites on the Antonine Wall and south at Castledykes.

A Roman bath house was subsequently found between the fort and medieval bridge. The bath house, which was found in 1973 beneath a pond, was moved to higher ground in 1980 and is now open to the public. The bath house was made up of: a Vestibule, a Frigidarium (cold room with cold plunge bath), a first and second Tepidarium (warm rooms), a Caldarium (hot room with nearby hot bath), and a Praefurnium (furnace room). Perhaps around 20 soldiers at a time could use the bath house.

Hundreds of artifacts were taken from the excavations on the site to the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University. These include a Roman drain cover slab, a hunt cup, and tile with a paw print. Pottery from the site has established an Antonine occupation but how the site relates to the Antonine Wall remains unclear. The full catalog of the finds is available along with many sketches.

The distance from the thermae (baths) to the fort suggests there are other, as yet undiscovered structures.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Ross McKenzie (6 months ago)
Brilliant location for dog walks. Lots of different paths along the river and through the woods.

Samantha Lee Thomson (7 months ago)
I visited Bothwell Castle with my partner back in February, the castle itself was closed due to maintenance but we had a lovely walk round the castle grounds. The place is very tidy and had little to no litter there at all. Such beautiful scenery, and it is a perfect wee place to go for those who love history and nature, and also for those who like to walk their dogs too.

trish s (8 months ago)
Sadly part outside was fenced off but still a beautiful place to go. Great for dog walkers

Graham Mellstrom (8 months ago)
Bothwell Castle has a small car park on site and a short walk to the Castle main entrance. The grounds of the castle are spacious and good to walk or take a dog. Advised to keep an eye on small children as there are a few ditches and steep hills at the farther end of the castle grounds. Some of the areas within the castles are currently not accessible due to ongoing maintenance. There are a decent amount of displays and information to keep your interest. Some vaulted cells with interesting exhibitions. Within the grounds, there are a few benches to sit and take in the surroundings. I did sit here for 40 minutes or so and enjoyed the peace and quiet. There is an onside toilet and small gift shop too. Well worth a visit.

Irene Young (9 months ago)
First visit to Bothwell castle with my friend. Lovely big well kept park. Was very happy to the Castle. It was a beautiful sunny day. We sat there chitchat. Good for dogs to run about. I have had been to many Castles. I still like and think Dunnottar castle is the best with the amazing surrounding views. Took your breath away.

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Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Bothwellhaugh Roman Fort

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