Excavation Skaill Farmstead

Head to Rousay on Saturday for Skaill excavation open day – all welcome!

The ongoing excavations at Skaill farm, Rousay, are hosting an open day this Saturday, July 16.
The Skaill farm excavation site looking out towards the Orkney Mainland. (Bobby Friel)
The Skaill farm excavation site looking out towards the Orkney Mainland. (Bobby Friel)

The ongoing excavations at Skaill farm, Rousay, are hosting an open day this Saturday, July 16.

Watch out for the taxman at Skaill on Saturday!

Running from 9.30am until 4.30pm, the UHI Archaeology Team will meet anyone interested in visiting from the ferry and take them to site. If you have your own transport, you can park in the Midhowe car park and make your way to the site via the stalled cairn. The excavation site is easy to spot.

As well as seeing the site and the archaeologists in action, there will be 18th/19th century themed activities and artefacts as well as re-enactment specialists.

Watch out for the taxmen! They are coming to Skaill on Saturday to try to track down their losses. Come and visit them and find out about life around 1800 in the isles.

Picture: Bobby Friel
Drone shot of the Skaill excavation, Rousay. (Bobby Friel)
The excavation site from the air. (Bobby Friel)
The excavation site from the air. (Bobby Friel)

The excavation, which runs until July 22, has seen the main trench extended this season, exposing more of the multi-period buildings. Work to remove rubble from the interiors is ongoing.

If you can’t make the open day, the site is open to visitors on weekdays for the duration of the dig.