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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Lovely map, I'm going to be nicking that..... it must be one of the finest freestanding ridges in  the Midlands.

[Image: attachment.php?aid=14870]

and it makes my case for me, thank you. 

1 The topo is soooo perfect defensively your outflanking forces are a the foot of the ridge facing entrenched hill top camps all the way around. So no benefit from moving around the ridge, that's what makes this topo so perfect, all round defence same pointing south as pointing north.

2 As we are told the battle site was enclosed by woods to the rear. Now what woods could possibly impede your local lads with skirmishing skills, it wouldn't be the oak and ash woodlands you get in this neck of the woods. The most impenetrable woods you can find in England are the willow and alder scrub you get in clay vallies. It can be as dense as any jungle. So the surrounding woods in this case would be the riparian scrub chocking the two headwater streams of the Nene that you are indicating as the outflanking duel carriageways. Honestly get out into some salix and alnus choked stream valleys, chances are these ones weren't cleared until much later than 61AD, you need more Mercian mud on your boots if your going to play this game. So your outflanking would be really really really hard work and you would end up facing the same slopes with the same Romans at the top of them... that's a point in favour of several ridge top camps as opposed to one honking great one, versatility and working with the terrain of your choosing.

and if we are going on to woodlands Tring hill tops open grassland or open Beech wood? I'm pretty sure they were never impenetrable defensive woodlands on that substrate, that particularly flat and easily traversed open ridge tops.

Your approach from the east is too far north, the route would have been on the south side of the Nene, it would be horrible crossing that river and it's marshes in force and under time pressure. The edge of the flood plain is the likely eastern route.

As for the approach from the south, maybe some did, more likely the main force approach from the south had taken a right a little further south to meet up at Hunsbury Hill, so no need to cross the Nene. A right turn at Pattishall or a bit further up near Bugbrook would suit fine. Then just a hour or so east and you get to the Hunsbury party...

"I have no idea what you mean by that! [Image: sad.png]" - that's nice. I'll give you a bit longer to try to get it then I'll see if I can help out.

In terms of your red dots, you can put another camp trace in the footprint of Church Stowe, a fortlet over the valley SW of Upper Stowe and another high value target feature between Upper and Church Stowe. Otherwise I think you just made the CS case even stronger and more compelling, you played an ace for me...time to get the spades out. I win some, you loose some, it's all the same to me.......

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwC2QljLn4

"I'm sorry; I just don't buy it." - oh no.... I am devastated, but in time I'll learn to cope..... maybe.... Cry Cry Cry
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Messages In This Thread
Re: Calling all armchair generals! - by Ensifer - 03-11-2010, 03:13 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-18-2012, 06:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 12:02 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 02:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 05:40 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 11:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 05:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 09:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:25 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 08:36 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-26-2012, 02:57 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-27-2012, 01:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 08-05-2012, 02:24 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-07-2014, 02:18 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-08-2014, 01:50 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-11-2014, 02:03 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-18-2014, 07:54 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-20-2014, 02:37 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-25-2014, 08:29 AM
RE: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand. - by John1 - 12-06-2018, 12:26 AM

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