IT’S the historic hidden gem with traces of the Iron Age which is believed to be the highest stone-built Roman fort in Britain.

At 330 metres above sea level, Epiacum Roman Fort at Alston has fascinated generations of archaeologists.

Now, thanks to a collective investment of over £23,000, moves are afoot to propel the site into the spotlight.

For tomorrow, a special ceremony will take place to unveil a new car park off the A689 road.

From there, visitors can tackle the Nervian Trail, an hour-long walk around the site, exploring the remains of its bath house, commander’s house, south west turret and eastern ramparts.

The name of the walk is taken from the Second Cohort of Nervians, a regiment from Belgium which occupied the site in the third century AD.

An information panel is set to be installed at the new car park, while it is hoped that a brown sign will soon go up to guide motorists to the site.

The walk will be marked out with attractive stones, donated by Alston Natural Stone Ltd, which have been painted white and emblazoned with attractive black Roman numerals.

“Bring your walking boots and enjoy what is a lovely walk in this beautiful landscape, and see the history that we’ve got here,” said Elaine Edgar, director of the not-for-profit Epiacum Heritage Ltd, which runs the site.

Although the invitation-only ceremony will take place tomorrow, the car park and walk will not be available to the public until Sunday to allow for finishing touches.

Funding to the tune of £18,000 was provided for the car park by Visit England, via Northumberland County Council.

In addition, local county councillor Ian Hutchinson has contributed £5,500 from his council member’s allowance, which will go towards the cost of the information panel, which will detail the site’s history.

Elaine says her ultimate ambition is to see the creation of a visitor centre at the site.

She explained: “We’re a small company and we are extremely grateful for this funding.

“The county council contacted me three years ago and said they had singled out Epiacum for investment, in terms of the Visit England money.

“That’s a tremendous leap of faith, but it’s small steps for us, and we’ll see how things progress.

“We are not here to compete with the well-known sites along Hadrian’s Wall; we are here to complement them. It’s about connecting sites, and we also want to boost the tourism profile of Alston.

“Hopefully visitors to Epiacum will use the shops, pubs and services here.”

Epiacum, which is also known as Whitley Castle Roman Fort, lies 15 miles south of Hadrian’s Wall and 20 miles north of the Roman road from York to Carlisle.

It’s a family affair for Elaine. The site is located within Castle Nook Farm, which is owned and worked by her husband John.

She paid tribute to a team of willing volunteers who have helped prepare the site ahead of this weekend’s launch.