Caerleon, "the fortress of the legion", is the most varied and fascinating Roman site in Britain. The headquarters from AD 75 of the Second Augustan Legion, this 50 acre fortress once housed some 5,500 elite Roman infantry, and still provides marvellously immediate insights into their lives.

Near its centre stands the imaginatively displayed Fortress Baths, a giant "leisure complex" which included heated changing rooms, a swimming pool, a huge gymnasium and cold, warm and hot bath halls. More violent forms of entertainment were available in the well-preserved amphitheatre: once believed to be "King Arthur's Round Table", this large arena seated 6,000 spectators for gladiatorial combats, wild beast shows and military displays.

A nearby row of barrack blocks- the only examples currently visible in Europe- recalls the everyday life of Caerleon's legionaries. Each block accommodated a "century" of 80 men, all-rounders who could turn their hands to building as well as soldering. Stones proudly inscribed with the names of the units which built the amphitheatre - including the enthusiastic "century of Rufinius Primus" can still be seen in the Legionary Museum.