PEOPLE across Monmouthshire and Newport could be excused for thinking they were in a time machine today as five Roman-dressed soldiers headed towards the city.

Five members of staff from the National Roman Legion Museum donned full legionnaire-esque uniforms as they marched from the Usk Rural Life Museum back to the museum in Caerleon.

Promoting next weekend’s Roman Spectacular re-enactment show in Caerleon’s Ampitheatre, the group dressed as members of the 2nd Augusta Legion, leaving Usk at 10am and making their way along the old Roman route through Usk Road and along the Usk Valley walk by the River Usk before arriving to tens of people taking photos of them at 3.40pm near the museum.

Learning facilitator and gallery assistant Verdun Howells, 26, led the march and said: “We did it after I saw an inspiring video of Italian re-enactors doing the Capua to Rome walk and thought we could do it as well but on a shorter Roman-Welsh route.

“There are enough Roman walks in Wales for people to do and we saw mostly cyclists on the way. One elderly couple said that in 50 years of cycling we were the best thing they had ever seen.”

The group had been training for the 12 mile route since May and built themselves up over that period with weekly sessions, each time adding more equipment until they got to a near-complete legionnaire outfit.

One of the soldiers, Lloyd Vaterlaws’ sandals fell apart during the first couple of miles and he spent nearly 10 miles of the hike barefoot.

Mr Vaterlaws, 23, said: “I could feel them coming apart and the heel rising up my ankle but didn’t actually think they would come apart, but then they did.

“We saw more horses along the way than people, and most of the people were cyclists. I got a nice pic of me, my sandal and a horse. Hopefully through seeing us others may walk the old paths.”

The group stopped off at Bertholey House in Llantrisant for lunch and had to redirect themselves through some woods after danger warning signs had been put up.

Museum assistant Claire Baker-Westhead was another soldier whilst her husband Steve walked along most of the way with the legionnaires to provide some health and safety support.

She said: “The views at certain points were stunning, we could see the mountain at Machen and some of the peaks near Abergavenny.

“It was great but really tiring but gave us a good insight to the problems and how it would feel as a Roman marching to a settlement. Hopefully we were the best site for most around.”

Mr Howells added: “It’s important as we talk about being a legionnaire a lot to visitors so doing events like this means we can talk from our personal experience and insight.”

For more information about next weekend’s show visit museumwales.ac.uk or call 029 2057 3550.