Roman roads of Britain: map and guide

Why did the Romans build roads?

Roads helped Roman armies, officials, messages and supplies move through Britain. They also linked markets, workshops, farms and settlements. The network grew and changed over several centuries; it was not one project completed immediately after the invasion of AD 43. Military purposes and civilian use often overlapped.

How to read the map

The map selects six familiar routes and shows approximate connections between named places. It is not a surveyed reconstruction, a walking route or the whole Roman network. Roman roads also crossed Wales and Scotland, and some routes continued beyond the sections shown here. The coastline is a generalised modern outline, so it does not reconstruct Roman estuaries or harbours. Open the full-size map to inspect the labels, then use the route descriptions below.

How were roads built?

Many roads used a raised foundation, often called an agger, with compacted stone or gravel and drainage beside it. Materials and construction varied with local conditions. Roads were not all paved with large flat slabs, did not all have the same layers or width, and were not perfectly straight from end to end. Surveyors balanced direct alignments with slopes, rivers and suitable crossing places.

Names and the evidence

Names such as Watling Street are later names used for Roman routes. Archaeologists identify roads through surviving earthworks, excavation, cropmarks, aerial photography, lidar and the relationship between settlements. A straight modern road or place name alone does not prove a Roman origin. Distinguish an observed surface from a proposed continuation between known sections.

1. Watling Street

The route commonly called Watling Street connected Dover, Canterbury, London, St Albans and Wroxeter, with important intermediate places such as Towcester and Wall. Parts lie beneath later roads, while the scheduled section near Kilsby preserves evidence away from a modern paved highway. Connect the route with our guides to Verulamium and Wroxeter. The name should not be treated as a surviving Roman signpost label.

2. Fosse Way

The Fosse Way linked Exeter and Lincoln through the west and Midlands, passing places including Ilchester, Bath, Cirencester and Leicester. It provides a useful way to connect the south-west with the Cotswolds and the East Midlands. Our overview follows selected town-to-town connections rather than tracing every bend or surviving length. Explore Bath, then compare the urban evidence at Leicester’s Jewry Wall.

3. Ermine Street

Ermine Street ran north from London through Hertfordshire towards Lincoln, with onward connections to York. The map shows the London–Lincoln section. Evidence in Hertfordshire includes earthworks, cropmarks, excavation and lengths retained in roads or rights of way. Avoid confusing Ermine Street with Ermin Street, a different Roman route associated with Cirencester and the west. A regional road name is most useful when paired with its places and evidence.

4. Dere Street: Yorkshire and the northern roads

The map follows the York–Corbridge section through the Catterick area, Piercebridge and Binchester. River crossings were important points for forts, bridges and movement, not incidental obstacles on a straight line. Dere Street continued farther north beyond the portion shown. Follow the route through our guides to York, Binchester and Corbridge.

5. Stane Street

Stane Street connected London and Chichester, taking the road network into Sussex. Its course can be studied through the landscape around Dorking and Pulborough as well as through archaeological survey. The map is an overview of this connection, not a claim that every stretch is exposed or accessible. Pair the road with Fishbourne Roman Palace near Chichester, and compare it with other routes identified by aerial and lidar research in Sussex.

6. Stanegate

The Stanegate linked Corbridge and Carlisle, with forts including Vindolanda along its line. It predates Hadrian’s Wall and continued to matter after the Wall was built. It is a separate road from the later Military Way associated with the Wall itself. At Vindolanda, milestones and road evidence help connect measured distance, imperial authority and the movement of people. Explore Vindolanda and Corbridge.

Explore a road on the ground

Start with an official site guide, a current map and a confirmed public route. A Roman alignment shown on a historical map is not automatically a public footpath. Look for changes in level, drainage and the relationship with settlements, while keeping possible features separate from confirmed archaeology. Try our Follow a Roman road activity or make a paper milestone to explore distance and travel at home.