Branodunum is another one of the Saxon Shore forts I have managed to make my way to. I am in very two minds about whether to recommend this place or not to do so. This is, mostly, because the extant fort can be represented by a field. Almost any field, except for the fact that any field will not have had a Roman fort standing there fifteen centuries back.
The most interesting aspect of the field is that the outline of the fort can be traced relatively easily on foot. The eastern and western sides retain a broad slope, on the top of which the old wall would have stood in my understanding. Other than this, there was a misleading sign that I twice walked towards only to find that it’s on the other side of the nearby A149.
The field towards the sea is also worth a visit once you are there, if you chose to go. That is because that hosts the only extant signpost that the National Trust set up — in my conversation with a local, I was told that another one used to exist but fell over this past winter. I found no sign of this other placard.
Apparently the main lack of the walls can be attributed to the locals who decided that a Roman wall is not to their use as much as the stone it was made out of — plenty of local dwellings, therefore, carry onwards this historic aspect.
Quite possibly, therefore, Branodunum now is a good stop for those wishing to appreciate the wildlife more than the historic. The seafront (then right at the foot of the lower field, I believe, next to the one standing placard) would have seen considerable usage in the Roman times, as well, allowing the imaginative to conjure up in their minds a busy everyday scene from that ancient time.
