
Sustainability and Conservation in an Island context.
The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute is pleased to announce that extra places are now available on the ‘Our Islands, Our Past’ Conference field trip to Orkney’s West Mainland.
Due to demand there will be an extra minibus, which means that we can now offer this exciting fieldtrip to an increased number of delegates. If you have not registered then there is a section on the form which you can fill in….if you have registered and want to attend the fieldtrip then contact us on archaeologyconference@uhi.ac.uk. If you haven’t registered yet then Download Our Islands Our Past Conference Registration Form and send it to us over the same e-mail address.
This field trip includes sites and landscapes from prehistory to the present, in the dynamic landscape of Orkney’s Atlantic coast. During the day-long trip we will see some of the well-known and World Heritage sites from different perspectives, and not so well known sites and visitor attractions.
The field trip will consider islands’ sustainability in relation to economic development, climate change, and community, thinking about sustainability in the past, and into the future.
In Birsay we will visit the Earl’s Palace and Birsay village, thinking about Birsay’s place in the Orkney Earldom, and examining the role of Birsay in the Magnus 900 events and new Pilgrimage Route. At the Brough of Birsay the Pictish and Norse sites give a focus for discussion of coastal erosion and conservation and management.

The Barony Mills highlight the role of community again in Birsay’s heritage, and illustrate sustainability, heritage and economic development past and present.
At Skaill Bay we will examine settlement and coastal change through the millennia, with illustration of resilience and adaptation as well as abandonment. Sites visited will include WHS Skara Brae, and the Broch of Verron at the other end of Skaill Bay.
Join the conversation and use our hashtag #oiopconference
See ‘Our Islands, Our Past’ Conference website.