Antonine Wall set to take centre stage

[Philosophia]

Antonine Wall set to take centre stage

It begins in Old Kilpatrick, on the River Clyde, and ends in Bo’ness on the Firth of Forth. It runs inconspicuously by cemeteries, schools and rows of shops, along streets where pedestrians walk, probably unknowingly, along its spine.

In some places railway tracks and roads cross it, in others the trains and traffic race alongside. The Antonine Wall is Scottish history’s forgotten legacy.

Yet when members of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee meet in Quebec tomorrow, the wall — built by the Romans in AD142 — will be on their agenda. Having applied for World Heritage Site status, it is on the verge of being recognised as a landmark to be ranked alongside the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramids.

From here (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4276718.ece).

I'm ashamed to admit but I've never heard of this wall. Has anybody visited it?

[Seren_]

I used to live in Bo'ness (where it ends), but I've only ever visited it over on the west (can't remember where exactly, though...) and near the Falkirk Wheel, I think it was. I have to admit, I was completely underwhelmed. Th first time I'd been expecting something like Hadrian's wall so I was quite surprised to find we'd been walking along it for half an hour as we made our way to the fort or whatever it was we were supposed to be seeing. It's more like a big bank than a typical wall, from the bits I've seen. It's an important piece of history, though, and it's good that it's got the recognition it deserves.