A major new programme of community-led archaeological survey begins in the Machars in 2011. The Whithorn Trust, in partnership with AOC Archaeology Group, will undertake a programme of survey and recording work across the Machars, recording some of the area’s most important monuments and forming a new record of the archaeology in one of Scotland’s richest areas. The survey will aim to record sites and monuments of all periods, from prehistory to the present.

Training and participation are central to the aims of the project, and we’re looking for volunteers to get involved in all aspects of the project. Participants will receive training in all types of archaeological survey, from low-tech drawing to high-tech 3D laser scanning, as well as in the use of geophysical equipment. There will also be a chance to get your hands dirty during a test-pit survey, known as the Whithorn ‘Big Dig’, which will look to plot the evidence of historic activity around the town of Whithorn.

The project is generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Dumfries and Galloway Leader.