What have the Romans ever done for us......?

.....Is a joke - I think - from one of the Monty Python films.   But for us Brits the answer is quite a lot.  I'm no expert on Roman Britain; but I do know that they built an extensive road network.  And in many cases, our current road network still broadly follows the same lines.  The Fosse Way, now known as the A46 is one Roman route that I regularly use; and so it was the other day.  The Fosse links Exeter with Lincoln, both important central places back then.  Perhaps not so much these days.

I had stayed overnight at my brother's place in Coventry having travelled there by train the previous day.  The eventual destination that day was a relative's farm, which borders onto the Fosse.  But I wasn't going straight there.   My first stop was Loughborough University, a diversion from the Roman route.   But much of the route from Coventry to there followed Roman lines.  I drove from my brother's place to the A46, which then turns into the M69 Motorway.

If I was following the approximate track laid down Romans, I would have nipped North on the M1 Motorway for a mile or so, and then continued on the A46 for another forty miles or so.  But I continued North up the M1 to Loughborough University.  I often try to stop there when I'm passing, just to see the old place and perhaps catch up with a few of my lecturers.  It's some sixteen years since I left Uni., but many of them are still there.

It was a short trip because I didn't find anyone I knew and I wanted to acquire an inexpensive lunch in West Bridgford, a suburb of Nottingham on the River Trent.  Here there was England at it's best.  The weather was splendid and people were sitting on the pavements outside the pubs, cafes and restaurants just enjoying the day.  It's also near the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Ground at Trent Bridge.  I stayed overnight on my relative's farm

The next day I would re-join the Fosse as I headed for Newark-on-Trent.  This section of the A46 was until a few years ago a bottleneck; and like many road improvement schemes in the UK there had been a number of proposals to improve it.  During the economic downturn the government was looking for ways to stimulate the economy and improve our infrastructure, so the section between Kinoulton and Newark was upgraded.

That made it a fast blast up to Newark.  Newark is a town that is rich in history, and was a significant place during the English civil war.  It has a large market square in the centre with a number of small winding lanes that radiate out from it.  I headed for the river.  Much of the path alongside the river is picturesque, save for the occasional scrapyard.  And the building a maintenance of boats is clearly still clearly a viable business proposition in these parts, as I saw several such outlets.

The castle by the main road bridge still looms large in the vistas from the river.  Just south of the castle there is a park which is often used for beer festivals, musical events and so forth.  It's a great place to be when the weather is nice in the summer.  I wonder what a Roman citizen would have thought while watching a contemporary local band blasting out their beats in the shadow of the castle.