The Ancient Track runs down to Sunken Green Lane

© Kanovium Project

Having walked beyond the flat area you continue east and look back, west, it is just possible that the original Roman military route continued along the wall in front of the electricity pylon, this route forming what is called ‘the  string of the bow’ while the track above formed the ‘bow’.  This could be apparent half of the way to the high point already mentioned at 1290 feet.  So who constructed this higher road? There is evidence for later Medieval (and much later, up to the modern day) resurfacing, but surely resources at this time would not have been available or envisaged to construct another road when the initial Roman causeway would still have been relatively serviceable.  The only possible later high input use could have been the English Conquest of the late 1290’s.  Edward 1st certainly recognizes correct Roman strategy and places his castles close to areas of the Roman stations, Conwy and Caernarvon.  He would have been aware of the old Roman route over these hills and may certainly have used it.  Why would he have to make a new road higher up? the Roman road would have still been usable, after 600 years it may have been damaged by rivers, or some areas might have been reclaimed by the mountain and bogs, but the initial stout construction over low bedrock would have meant it would still have been usable, if with some running repairs to washouts at culverts and fords.  It would be false economy to build another road and shift all the rocks again, any power set on negotiating this terrain would have been happy to use or repair the existing earlier track.  I say track here because we don’t have evidence for an ‘agger’ the raised causeway so beloved of the Roman soldier, not only was it a statement, it kept the stones and water out of his boots, is not present, while east of the Bwlch it certainly is, a narrow agger can be seen, perhaps the soil was deeper and allowed a causeway to be constructed?

Why did the Roman army choose such a route to begin with?  It would appear they had a respect or a fear for the imposing headlands which line the North Wales coast from Abergele all the way to Aber’s Anafon valley. Limestone headlands such as Cefn yr Ogof, Penmaenhead at Old Colwyn, Conwy Mountain, and a ghastly assemblage of granite from Dwygyflchi all the way through Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan and on to Aber.  Also at the estuary the Conwy river is far too wide and deep for the Romans to bridge or ford, a ferry would have been possible, but no, a high level route over some still wretched country was preferred, and from St Asaph the Roman road runs behind Bodelwyddan, Abergele, Betws yn Rhos, Llanelian, and Colwyn Bay, before finally taking the first change of direction near Bryn y Maen bus terminus to drop down near Bodnant Gardens to ford the River Conwy in the area of Kanovium fort, finally to strike up the south face of Tal y Fan mountain.  The Roman route uses the already existing prehistoric trackway, cutting through prehistoric fields and boundaries. The Roman road (or the earlier  track) is not the modern unclassified road, running from Rowen up to Bwlch y Ddeufaen, which many local people actually believe is the Roman road. The Roman route takes a more definete route than the winding lane, and near Bwlch y Ddeufaen it crosses a small circle of standing stones.  The Roman route is very narrow and sometimes with boulders not removed from the agger, which is food for thought...to shortly reach the area of these images.   The Roman army was not heading for Colwyn Bay or Conwy, it was going to Caerhun and that is why it takes the inland route.  The route is an important one, not only do pylons follow the Roman way from St Asaph to Aber, it was also proposed in the 1970’s as an alternative route for the A55 North Wales trunk road.  There is only one tiny river to cross, the River Dulas near the site of Pen y Corddyn Mawr hillfort.  Strangely while this Carnedd route continued in use until Thomas Telford constructed his bridge over the Conwy 200 years ago, the St Asaph to Caerhun route, while certain stretches are utilized for the 18th century coach road, largely went out of use.  This trackway above is obviously bending to the left to avoid the large boulders, and the Roman milestones stood close to the right of the road heree