Ardnamurchan Transitions Project - 1

This is the sixth summer in succession that archaeologists from Scotland and England have been coming up to West Ardnamurchan to carry out excavations on sites around Swordle Bay (pictured) on our beautiful north coast. The farm is on Ardnamurchan Estate property, and close to one of their letting properties, the Swordle Bay House, details here.

Called the Ardnamurchan Transitions Project because it looks specifically at times of change in the area, such as from Mesolithic to Neolithic and Bronze to Iron Age, the finds this year have been exceptional. Work has concentrated on Mesolithic, Neolithic and Viking sites around the Bay House, on 18th and 19th century sites below Coldstream Cottage, and, most recently, on an Iron Age promontory fort to the west of Swordle.

One of the features of the project is the way that it has drawn in a range of skills from different backgrounds - from Newcastle, Durham and Manchester Universities, from Archaeology Scotland, and from a private company, CFA Archaeology Ltd, based in Edinburgh. More importantly, their track record of meticulous work over recent years has meant that Historic Scotland, which controls digging on such key sites, has allowed them to work on more and more important areas, such as right into the centre of the chambered cairn at Swordle (picture above).

Their season ends on Saturday. The dig was organised this year by four co-directors, Ollie Harris from Newcastle University, Helena Gray from CFA, Phil Richardson from Archaeology Scotland, and Hannah Cobb from Manchester University. For much of the time they were assisted by some 40 staff, students and volunteers, a major logistical exercise. Other than on their open day, when they had almost an inch of rain, they have been very fortunate with the weather.

Much of the material they have found this year has been taken back to university departments for analysis, age-dating and, in the case of the most important finds, careful conservation, all of which costs money. As a result, full details of their many exciting finds won't be available until the New Year. But The Diary and the many other local people who have turned up at the sites over the past three weeks have been given generous access to this summer's excavations, some details of which follow over the next few days.

A map of the Swordle Area is here.