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Roman roads in the Vale
Two Roman roads define the boundaries of the Vale. In addition to the Fosse Way (Margary 5) to the west a prehistoric transhumance route used by the Romans (Margary 58a) and still known as the Salters Way runs roughly east-west from Barrow on Soar, crossing the Fosse at Six Hills, then following the Belvoir escarpment to the Iron Age and Roman ironworking operations at Goadby Marwood before heading to Croxton Kerrial, skirting south of Grantham, and then forming the modern A52 towards Boston and Kings Lynn.
A third Roman route, also likely to have been prehistoric in origin, cuts through the Vale running almost exactly north-south from Margidunum (Bingham) to Harby and thence via Pasture Lane near Hose to Melton Mowbray and then on to Burrough on the Hill, Tilton on the Hill and eventually Market Harborough (where there was possibly a Roman small town) in the south of Leicestershire, crossing the Gartree Road (Margary 57a) just north of Market Harborough.
In the thirteenth century the Harby to Melton section of this north-south route through the Vale was referred to as Ferdgate, meaning 'military road'. Some of this route is still in full use although from the Belvoir escarpment to Melton it is now a bridleway. In this video I describe in more detail this north-south route. I have subsequently prepared a detailed account of this whole route.
Ermine Street (now the A1) runs a few miles to the east of the Vale.
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