Ardoch Roman Fort

Ardoch Roman Fort lies about eleven kilometres south of Crieff in Perthshire, close to the village of Braco. It is part of the Roman Gask Ridge, a line of forts and watch-towers built to guard the northern frontier. The site contains the remains of a Roman fort with several marching camps and a signal tower. These earthworks are among the best preserved in the whole Empire. The fort is protected as a scheduled monument. The earliest fort at Ardoch may date from the campaigns of Agricola in the 1st century. Later the fort was rebuilt behind five ditches on the east and north sides. To the north is the remnant of a large annexe, and archaeologists have found traces of a watch-tower and at least six marching camps nearby. The camps formed a chain of one-day marches running north–south, linking forts such as Strageath and Inchtuthil. Within the fort stands the remains of a medieval chapel and its graveyard enclosure. In 1671 a hoard of Roman silver coins was found six kilometres north of the site. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited in 1842, though only Albert examined the earthworks. To the north, two Roman marching camps known as Black Hill Roman Camps are cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.