The archaeology hike from Carisbrooke into the Bowcombe Valley on 15 May follows the routes that the Roman population of the island used between their settlements and villas. The guide takes you through the evidence: field boundaries that preserve Roman alignments, the approaches to the villa complexes, and the relationship between the valley floor and the hilltop fort at Carisbrooke that predates the castle by well over a thousand years.
This is a walk for people who find agricultural archaeology more interesting than war archaeology, and who want to stand in a field and understand why a particular hedgerow runs in the direction it does. It is also, practically, a good two-hour stretch of west-central island countryside that most visitors never reach. The valley is quiet in mid-May, and the route from Carisbrooke takes you away from the castle car park crowd within ten minutes.
Paid, booked through Eventbrite or the Walking Festival programme. Suitable for adults and older children. Browse more heritage walks running across the island during the four-day festival.
