Walking the Antonine Wall: A Journey from East to West Scotland

by Alan Montgomery

Walking the Antonine Wall charts a voyage on foot along one of Scotland’s most fascinating ancient monuments, a 38-mile rampart constructed in the second century AD by the Romans to mark what would briefly become the northernmost limit of their vast empire. It is a personal account of historian Dr. Alan Montgomery’s encounters with the enigmatic remains of this Roman frontier which have inspired myths and legends and intrigued and baffled generations of chroniclers, antiquarians and archaeologists. Leading through wild open spaces and along city streets, past curiosities man-made and natural, ancient and modern, it records a journey across central Scotland and through 2,000 years of captivating Scottish history.

Genres: History, Travel

254 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2022

About the author

Alan Montgomery grew up in Edinburgh but has lived for many years in London. He has been fascinated by history ever since childhood, his love of the subject inspired by Scotland's rich collection of historical monuments. He studied History of Art at Glasgow University, then worked for many years in the art world at both an international auction house and an antique dealer. In recent years he has returned academia and indulged his passion for the ancient past, achieving an MA in Classical Civilisation and completing a Ph.D. in which he analyzed eighteenth-century attitudes towards the ancient Roman world. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 2017.

Reviews

[Ross Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very much a book in the style of those written by Alastair Moffat. As the title suggests, it focuses on a walk along the Antonine Wall, covering the history of the monument and what is visible, but also with large focus on the historiography of the Wall.

It is not a guide to walk the wall and in general would be of limited use for this purpose, so in that the title is slightly misleading. Perhaps something more akin to ‘A journey on the Antonine Wall’ would be more apt.

The drawings are pleasant on the eye but really add little beyond reinforcing the style. I know the route well but for others, some images of notable areas would be useful.

The style is easy reading and flows nicely. The book tries to be whimsical in places. Focusing often on feelings such as tiredness, hunger etc so in that light the way the two aborted halts to the wall jar. Twice the author stopped and actually did the route in three parts. This is not a criticism of that, but on both occasions this is fairly promptly dismissed and glossed over. My view - treat it as one experience, use artistic licence and keep it as one walk.

This book is informative and enjoyable, particularly if your interest is in the history of the walls investigation and research.

Comfortable 4 stars.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having visited a small section of the Antonine Wall, back in August, I enjoyed following the entire route from my armchair, with Alan Montgomery at my side. It was comforting to see that he too had had difficulties in finding various sections, as much of the wall has now disappeared under building projects or lie in the backs of people's gardens. This account flow easily and would be a great companion were we to attempt to walk the full length of the wall ourselves some time. I also liked that the book looked not only at the Roman remains and history, but also discussed more recent history and contemporary developments as well as the views and work of the antiquarians.

[Nicola Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I live very near to the site at the beginning of this book so could picture the route and then was fascinated by the later ,to me unknown, stretches.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting description of a walk (well, three walks, but that doesn’t really matter) along the route of the Antonine Wall.