Orkney’s second-largest island, Hoy, was the destination for a field trip yesterday, led by institute director, Professor Jane Downes.
A mixed group of postgraduate and undergraduate students caught the ferry to Lyness, where the first post of call was the award-winning Scapa Flow Museum. There they learned about Scapa Flow’s role in two world wars and how Hoy was a temporary home to thousands of military personnel.
Out thanks go to the staff for opening the museum, which is normally closed on Mondays, for us.
Inside the Scapa Flow Museum, Lyness. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
Then it was onwards to north Hoy and the Dwarfie Stane, hearing, en route, about archaeological features and work as well as the tragic tale of Betty Corrigall.
Thought to be Britain’s only example of a rock-cut prehistoric tomb, the Dwarfie Stane is a huge block of sandstone, hollowed out to create two cells inside. Based on similar Mediterranean structures, archaeologists have settled on a Neolithic date between 3500 and 3000BC.
En route to the Dwarfie Stane. (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
There and back again… (📷 Sigurd Towrie)
After the long trek to and from the Dwarfie Stane, it was back into the bus for the day’s final port of call, the beautiful valley of Rackwick. There, a visit to the heritage centre was followed by a look around the Craa’s Nest – a restored 18th century steading overlooking the valley.
Our next field trip will see around 35 archaeology students visit the Scottish Crannog Centre, among other sites on the Scottish mainland, later this month.
To find out much more about Hoy – the “dark, enchanted isle” – we thoroughly recommend the Tales o Hoy podcast series and interactive map, available here.
If you are interested in studying archaeology at the UHI Archaeology Institute, details of our courses are available here.
