Take a walk into Roman Britain when the East Anglian coast was constantly threatened by merciless seaborne Saxon raiders. A string of defensive forts was constructed from the Solent to the Wash along what’s known today as the ‘Saxon Shore’. Burgh Castle was built in the late 3rd century, an impressive structure of flint and mortar rising from pastures next to Butt Lane, near Great Yarmouth. A Roman cavalry was housed here, and extensive cropmarks indicate there was once a significant ‘vicus’ (civilian settlement) surrounding the fort. In the 4th century AD Burgh and Caister controlled the entrance to the marshy Waveney estuary, probably operating together and known by the Romans as Gariannonum. It’s worth visiting Caister too, while you’re in the area.
At Burgh Castle, an English Heritage site, three imposing stone walls survive, towering at almost their original height, making this one of the best-preserved Roman monuments in Britain. The fourth wall has long since tumbled into the surrounding marshes dramatically framing a shimmering panorama of mud and salt marsh over Breydon Water.
The land around the fort is rich in wildlife, lovely for a wheelchair accessible circular walk (1.5 mile/2.5 km) starting at Fort car park on Butt Lane before heading to the pub. You might spot wigeon and plover and elusive roe and water deer roaming through whispering grasses. But look out! Raiders still stalk the Norfolk coast; ghostly barn owls sail low over the meadows, hunting their own plunder in this ancient land.
