Newsletter

Dear All,

First of all, may we welcome everyone to our first special Feature Dig next week (Tuesday 25th November) when we shall be exploring an Iron Age hut circle, high on the ridge. As usual, we shall meet at 10am at the Schoolroom at Dacre Top and then shuttle the team to the site - or, if the weather makes digging impossible, we shall head for the warmth and shelter of the schoolroom to do a spot more training and to look at the Feature Digs we have planned for the 4-year project. Kevin Cale will lead us and we shall provide the kit as usual. Do bring warm clothes and full waterproofs though, plus your lunch to be munched on the hill.

The last couple of weeks have been dominated by the weather (varying from invigorating gales to fantastic sunshine)

- but also by some intriguing finds.

If anyone out there is an expert at dating horseshoes, we'd love to hear from you - this corroded but very solid horseshoe that was found today could be 20th century, but then again it might easily belong to some nearby (much earlier) features ...

Our digging also came across a large fragment of whitened twisted metal - could it be a part of the bomb which landed on the adjacent farm during the war? And then there are the eroded but definitely carved rocks which have become more obvious thanks to the glorious low autumn sunshine: one is from the Bronze Age and the other is a mystery. And last week produced a piece of non-native white flint or chert, tucked down beside a large stone flagstone/foundation, close to some burned stones - we look forward to following up that particular trench before long ...

It is a truly amazing site. Do join us next Tuesday for our Feature Dig - and here's hoping for good weather!

All the very best,

Gillian Hovell

Secretary, Iron-Age (Nidderdale) Project

As ever, may we remind you all that the site is on an exposed hillside and waterproofs/suncream and stout footwear are definitely required.

May we stress that the site is on private property with no public right of way - access must be accompanied by a group leader at all times.