Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.

[Renatus]

Ah, I see. Assuming the Via Devana existed at that point, would it not involve a detour north from High Cross to Leicester? It seems a bit of a roundabout route - surely quicker to march straight down Watling Street to St Albans and then east?

Actually, it is still shorter:

High Cross to Colchester via Leicester = 110 miles (approx.)
High Cross to Colchester via St Albans = 120 miles (approx.)

However, why take that route?  There is a road between Mancetter and Leicester that cuts out that dog-leg:

Mancetter to Colchester via Leicester = 105 miles (approx.)
Mancetter to Colchester via St Albans = 130 miles (approx.)

But if he knew there was an enemy in the field, and his senior commander was advancing to engage it, and he had cavalry with him, would he not have tried to join forces with Paulinus? Unless the rebels had cut off his routes westwards, trekking all the way back north to base with his remaining troops while the province was in danger sounds woefully incompetent!

When you say 'his remaining troops', do you mean the cavalry that escaped the battle with him or do you mean his remaining half-legion? When I speak of his going to base, I mean the camp of the remaining part of the legion. He was its commander, after all, and any action that Paulinus required him to take would almost certainly involve the remnants of the legion. Cerialis' proper place would be at its head. I have postulated that the original intention was for Paulinus and Cerialis to link up at Godmanchester and for the combined force to proceed to the relief of Colchester. For some reason, Cerialis felt obliged to advance without waiting for Paulinus to arrive at the rendezvous. However, Cerialis' route back after the battle would presumably have taken him through Godmanchester and, if Paulinus was there or nearby, he would no doubt have made his report to him personally. On the other hand, if Paulinus was somewhere on Watling Street, Cerialis is unlikely to have made a lengthy detour to meet him but rather to have sent him a written report and rejoined his remaining part-legion to await further instructions.

Meanwhile, for those who like Tring, here's an alternative site in the same vicinity. Aldbury

Yes, they could have had tea at the Brownlow Café and played a round of golf at the Stocks Golf Club while they were waiting! Leaving this (rather obvious) joke aside, I would have no problem with that. I am not wedded to the name 'Tring'; I am looking upon it as an area, rather than a specific location. Aldbury seems to have the same strategic advantages and, if its location eliminates the objections to other proposed sites, I am quite happy to start talking about 'Aldbury' instead.

I'm increasingly convinced that Tacitus's 'defile' was a gap between hills, a pass or a saddle, ideally a through-route that the Romans could block.

This would seem more likely than the idea of Paulinus wedging his troops into a closed valley with no easy route of retreat.

We do, however, have the problem of the wood or forest at the rear of his position. If this was to prevent his being attacked from behind, it would also impede his ability to retreat. Perhaps he took the view that this was an all-or-nothing situation and was prepared to fight to the death, if necessary. As to its appearing to be an open-ended position, we do have to consider that the landscape is likely to have changed beyond recognition over the last 2000 years and that what is open country now may have been heavily forested in the 1st century.