Step Into The Past With Highland Archaeology Fortnight 2007
Highland archaeology-followers will be able to step, cycle and four-wheel drive their way into the past during the 14th annual Highland Archaeology Fortnight.
Programmes listing 160 events are hot off the press this week for Highland Archaeology Fortnight which takes place between Saturday 29th September - Sunday 14th October.
The festival, which celebrates the archaeology, history and culture of the Highlands, has a packed programme of guided walks, cycle tours, family events, evening lectures and exhibitions for all ages to enjoy. The fortnight will end with a two day seminar in Inverness opened by battlefield archaeologist, Dr Tony Pollard co-presenter of the BBC series “Two Men in a Trench”. The seminar features talks about recent archaeological excavations and projects across the Highlands.
Co-ordinated by The Highland Council’s Archaeology Unit in the Planning and Development Service, the festival’s events are organised by a wide range of community groups, interested individuals, museums and professional bodies such as Historic Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland.
Councillor Drew Hendry, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee said: “Highland Council’s continued work with our national and community partners is now seeing Highland Archaeology Fortnight into its 14th year during Highland 2007. This co-ordinated approach linking cultural and heritage events throughout the Highlands has proven a tried an tested formula and it supports the Council administration’s key aim of helping to maintain and develop an active interest in the heritage and history of the Highlands.”
Dorothy Maxwell, Highland Council’s Project Asset & Archaeology Manager said: “We have a fantastic line-up of events for Highland Archaeology Fortnight including a guided walk in Strathconon to look at the remains of what once was a thriving and clandestine illicit whisky distilling industry some 200 years ago; guided cycle tours along an old military road from Slochd to Sluggan; a tour of the gun batteries at the North Sutor which guarded the entrance to Cromarty Firth and helped protect the Royal Navy fleet at Invergordon during World War II; and a Land Rover tour through Glencoe to see the sites of the 1692 massacre and hear tales of Glencoe folklore. These examples are just a taster of the varied programme on offer.”
As a grand finale to Highland Archaeology Fortnight, a seminar, “What’s New in Highland Archaeology", will be held at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Church Street, Inverness on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th October. The event is free and members of the public are invited to come along and find out about the recent archaeological discoveries and research in the Highlands. Dr Pollard, Director of the internationally renowned Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at the University of Glasgow will present the initial findings of the Fort William and Inverlochy Archaeological Project. Reports of numerous archaeological projects by community groups and national organisations will also be presented at the seminar.
To get a free a copy of the programme please contact the Festival Hotline on 01463 718505 or email archaeology@highland.gov.uk or visit the Council's website to download the programme. Regularly for news on late additions or alterations to the programme will also be posted on the Council’s website in the archaeology pages.
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For further information please contact: Andrew Puls, Highland Council’s Archaeologist, tel: (01463) 702505.
Note to editors:
• Highland Archaeology Week was Scotland’s first (and largest) week-long festival celebrating history, heritage and culture.
• In 1999 it won outright the category for Outstanding Performance in Quality in Development Control in the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning.
• The event has also been a finalist in The Highland Council’s own Quality Awards.
• In 2005, the week was extended to become “Highland Archaeology Fortnight”. The first week encourages the development of a programme of schools events and the second week, during the school holidays, features a mix of guided walks, talks, children’s events and exhibitions.
• Since 2005, feedback indicates that the two-week format is very successful with over 4,340 people attending events last year.