Eboracum

It's my birthday next week! I usually book a holiday, but unfortunately I was unable to get that particular time slot and had to settle for a week earlier than usual. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. For one, it's actually sunny - not always a given in June in England. Secondly, I discovered this little festival purely by chance. A very fortunate early birthday gift from the gods....

Eboracum was the Roman settlement established in the north of England - later resettled by the Vikings and known as Yorvik - now the beautiful city of York.  

There were two main elements to the festival - a military drill and a Roman camp. The drill was very informative and highly entertaining, though a few of the little kiddies were in tears when charged by the fully armoured troops. The camp was a chance to see some of the equipment at close hand, chat with the re-enactors who are always very knowledgeable, and partake of  free samples of  Roman food - though no larks' tongues.  

On to the Roman camp. One of the exhibitors had some model soldiers to explain tactics, which I thought was suitably nerdy for the blog.