Test-Pitting

This year, the archaeologists from the Ardnamurchan Transitions Project team have split themselves between two sites. One group is continuing previous years' work on the ridge called Dun Mhurchaidh just to the east of Kilmory, while the other group, above, is working in the area between Swordle Byre and the coast. When we visited them yesterday they are digging test pits along the west bank of the Swordle burn on a 10m grid.

Each pit is 50cm by 50cm, and is excavated and recorded layer by layer.  This pit, which was very close to the burn, went down through topsoil into a sandy layer and then almost immediately into a layer of river-worn cobbles and gravel. Once the data from all the pits is collated, a picture of past environments can be built up.

Last night, Ollie Harris of Leicester University, one of the team leaders, gave an excellent talk in the Learning Centre on their successes over the last few years. On Sunday, starting at 10.00am, they have their second public Open Day - follow the signs at Swordle.