A NATIONAL Trust architect has made a significant new discovery of what he believes to be a Roman road extending from Wiston near Haverfordwest all the way north to a surviving Roman fort five miles east of Ponterwyd.

Following four years of research, Martin Davies from Cardigan’s discovery has published in his latest book Ancient Causeways Uncovered – Evidence for a coastal Roman road through Ceredigion and over Preseli.

Martin says that he has purposely avoided producing a book that is technical or academic, and hopes that the thrill of finding new evidence comes over in its pages.

His work is supported by maps, aerial photographs, Lidar and field explorations, also by no less than eight excavations.

“It’s written for the lay public by a lay author. Nor is it scientific: it relies instead on observation, practical experience and the occasional hard graft with a shovel and trowel. The readers are the jury who can come to their own conclusions based on the evidence,” said Martin, also author of Save the last of the Magic, a booklet on local cottages first published in 1991.

“Some of the traces are so faint on aerial views that they can only be seen on a computer screen, because it is back-lit. But it is the ephemeral nature of this evidence that makes exploration so addictive. As for the excavations, they always throw up the unexpected and usually pose more questions,” said Martin.

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