At the edge of the beautiful Brecon Beacons national park, you can find the remains of a grand fort built by the Roman Empire in around 75 AD.

Located in the middle of idyllic Welsh pastures, Brecon Gaer Roman Fort (also known as Y Gaer) was once one of the largest inland Roman forts in Britain.

It was excavated in the 1920s by archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler and is now an important historic site in south Wales.

A major outpost

Brecon Gaer Roman Fort was an essential link in the Roman Empire’s network throughout Wales.

Built in a strategic location where two major roads met, it allowed the Romans to control exactly who and what was travelling through these lands.

This mighty fortification also most likely served as a statement to the native Welsh locals of the Roman Empire’s power.

Brecon Gaer was believed to have been built for a contingent for as many as 500 cavalrymen belonging to the Vettonian Spanish Cavalry Regiment.

The presence of these skilled legionaries was probably essential to conquering this land, previously owned by the Silures.

In its heyday, Brecon Gaer would have been a bustling outpost.

It had a large guardhouse, a granary, stables, and even a heated bathhouse. It was well defended too, surrounded by a wooden palisade watched over by towers, the remains of which you can still find today.

There are also remnants of two gateways, which were the only way of entering or exiting the fort.

If you use your imagination, you’ll be able to see how grand the rubble would have once looked, rising high to lord over the picturesque Welsh countryside.

Getting there and what’s nearby

Brecon Gaer Roman Fort is located near Brecon town and is cared for and maintained by the historic environment service Cadw.

Brecon is a quaint historic town that’s a great place for tourists to visit and stay in, and there are also Aberbran campsites nearby for those who want to experience living outdoors in this magnificent national park.

Not to mention that the area around the fort is also full of golf courses, so it’s a great place to stop off on your way to a game.

For those interested in ancient history, a trip to Brecon Gaer is sure to be fascinating.

It's an important site for both Welsh and English heritage, as it gives us a glimpse into the might of the great Roman empire, and is evidence that the mark their rule left on this nation is still being felt over a millennia later.