Ambleside Roman Fort (Galava): Which Gate & Where to Park

The honest version

A field you have probably driven past

I drove past this field for thirty years without knowing it was anything other than a field. From the road you would not have a clue, and that is the first thing to know about Ambleside Roman Fort.

The second is that it is not a visual fort like Hardknott. There is little left in the way of walls. What you can see are the points of entry and the sectioned-off areas where the buildings stood: low lines of stone in the grass. If you like to understand a place, it is well worth the short walk, and it costs nothing. If you want standing walls, Hardknott is the one to drive to.

The name needs a word too. We lead with Ambleside Roman Fort because that is what it is called on the ground. Galava is the name it is thought to have carried in Roman times, and the National Trust board in the field is careful to say only that it may be the fort called Galava. We keep that caution on this page.

If you only do one thing: go in by the gate nearest the road, find the National Trust welcome board and read it before you walk anywhere. The rest of the field makes sense after that, and not much of it does before.

Getting in

Which gate: the one nearest the road

Two gates lead from the green, Borrans Park, into the fort field. Use the one nearest the road. It brings you in beside the National Trust welcome board, and you need that board to make sense of the place.

Google Maps sends you the wrong way

Google Maps takes you to the far entrance, the river-walk gate on the north-east side. You can come in that way, alongside the river, but walk round to the roadside gate and start at the board.

We went through the wrong gate first. It cost us about fifty metres and no great harm, but we had the field in the wrong order until we found the board.

An iron gate in a mossy dry-stone wall between Borrans Park and the fort field — One of the two gates from the park into the fort field.

The National Trust welcome board at Ambleside Roman Fort, looking across the field — The board to find first. Start here.

Getting there

Parking, the bus and the boat

The fort is in Borrans Field at Waterhead, beside the A5075. English Heritage puts it about 180 metres west of Waterhead car park, and the Lake District National Park puts it about 1 km (0.6 miles) south of Ambleside.

By car

We were staying at the Wateredge Inn, the inn next to the park on Borrans Road, and left the car there. That is guest parking, so do not count on it. My advice is to park anywhere in Ambleside and walk down: it is an easy walk.

For a sat-nav the National Trust suggests LA22 0ES, which is Waterhead car park. It is a pay car park and not a National Trust one; the National Trust says there are public toilets there.

On foot from Waterhead

The National Trust's directions: turn right out of Waterhead car park, cross the road, and with the lake on your left follow the path through Borrans Park to the gate. Remember which gate you want: the roadside one.

Bus and boat

The National Trust lists buses 555 and 599 to Waterhead, then a very short walk. Check the Stagecoach timetables before you rely on either.

Boats call at the Waterhead jetties in season; see our Windermere guide.

What you can see

The gates, the towers and the outlines, one at a time

Everything described below comes from the National Trust boards in the field. On the ground it is outlines and low stone in grass, so read the board at each spot and then look down.

The main gate

The board calls it the eastern gateway, the Porta Praetoria. The Via Praetoria ran from it straight to the headquarters building. This was the only gate with twin doors, with a guard room in a tower on each side; the board says the other three gates had a single door.

The south gate

A single entrance with flanking walls rather than towers. The outer threshold stone, with its pivot holes, is still there: look for it. The road through this gate ran to the lakeside, which the board says suggests that men and materials moved by water.

The main gate of Ambleside Roman Fort: a paved threshold and a plaque in the grass, with Cass, a black Staffordshire Bull Terrier, at the bottom of the frame — The main gate. A square of paving, a plaque, and the line of the road running away into the field.

The south gate of Ambleside Roman Fort: paving, a plaque and a stone set in the turf — The south gate, on the side that led to the lake.

The angle towers

The fort had the "playing card" plan, with rounded corners, a small tower at each corner and a walkway round the top of the wall. A gravestone found near the fort commemorates a records clerk called Flavius Romanus, and the board notes that it says he was killed inside the fort by the enemy.

The heart of the fort

The boards describe three buildings in the middle of the fort. On the ground they are outlines in the grass.

The commanding officer's house: The Praetorium: at least twelve small rooms round an open courtyard.
The headquarters: The Principia: a courtyard, armouries and a hall with a tribunal. Behind it the temple, with the strong room beneath, and pay and records offices either side.
The granaries: The Horrea: two, with thick buttressed walls and raised floors to keep the grain dry.

Lines of stone, and a lot of water

Lines of stone like the one below mark out where the buildings stood. The ground was very wet when we visited: there was water all the way around the fort and a trickle running along the south side. The water-filled hollow in the second photograph was one of the wettest spots, and I cannot tell you what it was. Wear boots.

A line of Roman wall footings running through the grass at Ambleside Roman Fort — Lines of stone like this mark out where the buildings stood.

A water-filled hollow in the grass at Ambleside Roman Fort — The ground holds water. It was lying all round the fort when we visited.

A short history

A timber fort, then a stone one

According to the welcome board, the first fort here was a small timber one built in the late 1st century AD for a garrison of about 200, and it was soon abandoned. In the early 2nd century the site was reoccupied and a larger stone fort on a raised platform was built for a cohort of about 500 auxiliary infantry. The board says the platform can still be seen, and it was used until the 4th century, with a large civilian settlement to the north and east.

English Heritage dates the remains you see to the 2nd century and says the fort was built under Hadrian to guard the Roman road from Brougham to Ravenglass, and to act as a supply base. Both statements hold: there was a first fort in the late 1st century and the stone fort whose footings survive is 2nd century. No single founding year is given by either source, and we do not give one.

The board about Windermere adds two details. The River Brathay ran closer to the fort two thousand years ago and formed a barrier on its western side, and Windermere itself is more than ten miles long. The fort was excavated between 1913 and 1920.

The green beside the fort

Borrans Park: map, parking, history and swimming

Borrans Park is the open green between the road and the Windermere shore at Waterhead, and the way into the fort field is across it. A council sign in the park describes it as a place for picnics, paddling and the view, and says it was once a Roman settlement, with a road leading to the fort in the next field. For parking, see Getting there: there is no car park in the park itself.

A Westmorland and Furness Council sign says no barbecues or bonfires, with fixed penalties for breaking the rule. The Wateredge Inn is next door.

Before you paddle or swim

A LOVE Windermere blue-green algae notice is posted in the park: check the water before you go in, and keep dogs on a lead and out of it if there is any sign of algae. We cannot tell you what the water is like on any given day, so read the notice and the Environment Agency guidance on the day.

The open lawn of Borrans Park, Ambleside, under a blue sky — Borrans Park, the green you cross to reach the fort.

Windermere from the shore at Borrans Park, boats moored across the water — Windermere from the park shoreline.

Dogs and the ground

Leads on, boots on

English Heritage welcomes dogs on leads and warns that farm livestock are likely to be present in the field, so the lead matters. Cass, our black Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was with us on hers. Smoking, vaping, barbecues and naked flames are not allowed.

The ground is soft: when we visited there was water all round the fort, as described above. Wear boots, and expect wet feet if you do not.

Other Roman sites

The rest of the Roman Lake District

English Heritage says a Roman road linked this fort to Hardknott Roman Fort and to the bath house at Ravenglass. Both are worth the drive, and both are a very different day out.

Hardknott Roman Fort

The one with walls: a fort on a fellside shelf above Eskdale, free and unstaffed.

Ravenglass

The coast end of the Roman road, and the Roman bath house.

Common questions

Ambleside Roman Fort, answered

Where is Ambleside Roman Fort?

In Borrans Field at Waterhead, beside Windermere, about 0.6 miles (1 km) south of Ambleside according to the Lake District National Park. You reach it through Borrans Park, the green beside the lake. The gate to use has the what3words address ///expectant.bucks.same.

Which entrance should you use for Ambleside Roman Fort?

The gate nearest the road. Two gates lead from Borrans Park into the fort field, and the roadside one brings you in beside the National Trust welcome board, which you need to make sense of the place. Google Maps takes you to the far entrance, the river-walk gate on the north-east side. You can come in that way, but it is better to walk round to the roadside gate and start at the board. The roadside gate is ///expectant.bucks.same on what3words.

Is Ambleside Roman Fort free? Do you need tickets?

It is free and there is nothing to book. English Heritage lists it as a free site, with no ticket needed.

What are the opening times for Ambleside Roman Fort?

English Heritage says it is open any reasonable time during daylight hours, and that entry is free. Check the English Heritage page before you travel.

Where do you park for Ambleside Roman Fort?

Waterhead car park is the nearest public car park. It is a pay car park, not a National Trust one, and the National Trust gives its postcode, LA22 0ES, for sat-nav. Our advice is to park anywhere in Ambleside and walk down, which is an easy walk.

Is Ambleside Roman Fort the same as Galava?

It is thought to be. The National Trust board at the fort says it may be the fort the Romans called Galava, and we keep the same caution: Ambleside Roman Fort is the name on the ground, Galava is the name it is thought to have carried.

What can you actually see at Ambleside Roman Fort?

Not standing walls: it is nothing like Hardknott. What you can see are the points of entry and the sectioned-off areas where the buildings stood, low lines of stone in the grass. The National Trust boards name the main gate, the south gate, the commanding officer's house, the headquarters and the two granaries, and the outer threshold stone of the south gate, with its pivot holes, is still there to find.

Are dogs allowed at Ambleside Roman Fort?

Yes, on leads. English Heritage welcomes dogs on leads and warns that farm livestock are likely to be present in the field. Smoking, vaping, barbecues and naked flames are not allowed.

What are the Roman ruins in Ambleside, and is there another Roman fort in the Lake District?

Ambleside Roman Fort is the one at Waterhead. The others are Hardknott Roman Fort above Eskdale and the Roman bath house at Ravenglass. English Heritage says a Roman road once linked them.

Can you swim or paddle at Borrans Park?

A council sign in the park describes it as a place for picnics, paddling and the view. A LOVE Windermere blue-green algae notice is also posted there: check the water before you go in, and keep dogs on a lead and out of it if there is any sign of algae. We cannot tell you what the water is like on any given day, so read the notice and the Environment Agency guidance on the day.

Keep exploring

Ambleside Roman Fort (Galava)