Established as a fortress in AD 71, Eboracum – Roman York – served as home to the Sixth Legion before evolving into the capital of the province of Britannia Secunda. A triumvirate of Roman emperors visited Eboracum, reflecting the city’s importance in the ancient world: Hadrian passed through in AD 120, Septimius Severus set up court in 208 and Constantius I, father of Constantine the Great, paid his respects a century later.

Today York boasts evocative reminders of its Roman past, including, in the crypt of York Minster, substantial traces of the ancient headquarters (principia) of the original legionary fortress. The recently-enlarged Yorkshire Museum, one of the earliest purpose-built museums in the world, proudly displays an exquisite statue of Mars and the skeletal remains of the 4th century “ivory bangle lady”.

Our travels outside York will lead us to Roman Aldborough (notable for its in situ mosaics), the massive late Iron Age site at Stanwick (where part of the earth and stone defences were reconstructed by Sir Mortimer Wheeler) and the Roman fort above the River Wear at Binchester. At Piercebridge we will admire the massive foundations of the Roman bridge that once carried Dover Street across the River Tees.

We stay in the heart of York at the Best Western Monkbar Hotel, a stone’s throw from the famous minster.