Happy New Year from all of us at SCAPE!
Thank you to our volunteers, followers, partners and funders for all your support in 2025.
We look forward to seeing you as we survey Scotland's coast in 2026...
#coastarch #hessupported #scotarchstrat
Fresh erosion shows the upper and lower buildings clearly, separated by a layer of sand.
... The main building is most likely to date to between 1500 and the late 1600s - with earlier structures beneath.
This is our first firm indication of the site’s age and sheds light on the speed of coastal change in the historic period.
#coastarch #HESsupported #scotarchstrat
At Gossaborough, on Yell, several metres of shoreline reveal tumbled masonry, burnt stone and scattered finds – strong evidence of prehistoric houses now being lost to the sea.
The eroding section at Papil on Yell is a classic. Here, bands of white shell stand out against darker layers of heat cracked stone and charcoal, showing how the midden built up through repeated dumps over time. A closer look revealed struck quartz tools, and just around the corner we spotted half of a saddle quern set within a tumbled wall.
The Ness of Portnaculter in the Dornoch Firth is a wonderful example of a shell midden mixed with heat cracked cobbles, showing people once cooked and ate shellfish here. Similar examples of seasonal shoreline feasts have been recorded in the prehistoric and up to the early medieval periods.
At Basta Voe, Yell, a layer of clean white sand runs through the dark peat. This may record a major storm surge or even a tsunami that hit around 1,500 years ago. Thanks to Allen Fraser for showing us this site.
#2 of our 2025 highlights - coming face to face with history revealed in eroding coast edges…
As the sea cuts into the land, it reveals layers of past human activity, like layers of a cake, revealing glimpses of past events. Here’s a few favourites from the Yell and Dornoch surveys.
#coastarch
Many clifftop Shetland brochs are either partially eroded or teetering on the edge, giving a sense of the scale of cliff erosion over the last 2000 years.
This photogenic site has been captured over the years in sketches & photos, take a look on Trove.Scot
#coastarch #hessupported #scotarchstrat
The strong winds of Storm Bram coincided with high tides, potentially causing coastal erosion. When it’s safe you can help monitor changes by reporting any damage you see. Use Dynamic Coast's new Coastal Erosion Reporter tool at www.DynamicCoast.com
Thank you!
#stormbram #coastarch #hessupported
The Dornoch Firth Coastal Survey (Mar/Apr2025) Report is out! Highlights: a monumental fish trap, Bonar bridge coastal engineering, & a wonderful discovery of zulu sailing drifter. Download here: scapetrust.org/wp-content/u...
#coastarch #scotarchstrat #hessupported
Aerial image of the excavation trenches
Prehistoric buildings exposed by coastal erosion
Gletness Excavation Report is out!
In May, SCAPE & Archaeology Shetland excavated an eroding Middle-Late Iron Age settlement & a Bronze Age burnt mound.
Short visit, big archaeology.
Download the Report: scapetrust.org/wp-content/u...
@archshet.bsky.social
#coastarch #CoastalHeritage #hessupported
This remarkable site at Sands of Breckon, Yell, is revealing layers of history. Coastal processes have exposed prehistoric houses and burial cairns.
@archshet.bsky.social @standrewshist.bsky.social
#HESsupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat
What progress over just 4 days with the amazing @archshet.bsky.social on the Gletness dig. One or more big Iron Age buildings and a Bronze Age burnt mound. Done and dusted for now. Thank you everyone!
#HESSupported #coastarch #ScotArchStrat
Excellent first day with @archshet.bsky.social on the Gletness dig. Thank you everyone!
#HESSupported #coastarch #ScotArchStrat
You can’t do a coastal survey in Shetland without encountering brochs. These epic monuments of the Iron Age never fail to impress and interest us. What's your favourite Shetland broch?
#hessupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat
You never know what’s round the corner. This re-used saddle quern hints of a nearby prehistoric site - and sure enough - a few paces further, an Iron Age settlement is revealed in the eroding section. We look forward to returning to Yell in June for more!
#hessupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat
Breckon Mill
Breckon Mill
Toft mill was described as a stone box built over the burn. It went out of use by the 1870s.
Toft Mill
Shetland horizontal mills - used for a 1000 years - now mostly ruinous. You will find them alone or in groups, like these examples in North Yell. An intact working example survives at the Crofthouse Museum in Dunrossness which you can visit! #hessupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat
Building of the day - a ruinous Böd – (store with accommodation associated with commercial fishing) on the shore at Lindburn, West Yell.
We'd love to know more about the history of this interesting building!
#hessupported #scotarchstrat #coastarch
Looking forward to heading up to the beautiful island of Yell, Shetland for coastal surveys with the community 20-24 May and 4-6 June. Join us as we explore this historic coast or get in touch with your knowledge of Yell’s coastal heritage and coastal change #Coastarch #Hessupported #ScotArchStrat
A Norse fish processing site, a rocket pole, limekilns, intertidal poetry and more – all within an hour’s walk of John O’ Groats. Read about this wonderful coastal landscape on the Walk of Discovery blog scapetrust.org/a-walk-of-di...
#hessupported #scotarchstrat #coastarch
If you encounter a monumental erratic like these ones
at Roy’s Bay, Portmahomack, check if it's named on the historic OS map. Named rocks serve as landmarks for navigation and are often associated with local stories. They blur the lines between natural & cultural heritage.
#HESSupported #CoastArch
A massive, bleached white Sperm Whale skull rests on the rocky shore north of Portmahomack, having washed ashore years ago. A person stands behind it, highlighting its enormous size. Surrounding the skull are scattered stones and calm waters.
Volunteers at the end of a hard day. Five people stand beside a railway arch, each holding a red and white ranging rod, with brown bracken and bare trees surrounding them.
A misty picture of six people standing on a beach with several pools of water and the shore in the distance. In front, there are three seaweed-covered stones and a ranging pole marking the site of a supposed holy well.
Tarbat Ness Lighthouse, built in 1830 by Robert Stevenson, stands tall with its red and white stripes at the tip of Tarbat Ness. Powerful North Sea waves crash against the eroding red sandstone cliffs surrounding the headland. Above, a bright blue sky is dotted with fluffy white clouds.
We had a great time on the Dornoch Firth over the last few days, discovering and recording the area's rich maritime heritage and sharing knowledge with enthusiastic local volunteers. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped with the survey! #CoastArch #HESSupported #ScotArchStrat
It was an absolute pleasure to have you and the rest of the gang from @arcdurham.bsky.social with us! Thanks for all your help, and we'll keep you posted on when we are out next! #CoastArch #HESSupported #ScotArchStrat
A group of five SCAPE volunteers stand next to an old, ruined fishing boat on the foreshore of the Dornoch Firth.
A group of five SCAPE volunteers set off for a walk along the foreshore of the Dornoch Firth. Blue skies and sunshine on an early spring morning.
We had a cracking first day on our Dornoch Firth Survey, exploring the Rubha nan Sgarbh headland, which, according to the farmer Mr Simpson, means Point of the Cormorant - a place name with Gaelic and Norse elements. Thanks to the volunteers & Mr Simpson for his knowledge. #CoastArch #HESSupported
Our first coastal survey of the year will be along the southern coast of the Dornoch Firth! Join us March 7–10 & April 5–7 as we explore this historic shoreline or get in touch with your insights on the area's coastal heritage & knowledge of coastal change. #CoastArch #HESSupported #ScotArchStrat
This would have been a typical form of panhouse working in Scotland from the 15th to the 18th centuries. A very similar building used to stand at the saltworks at the Cock of Arran until it collapsed some years ago, leaving Ascog as a lonely survivor. The building survives to several meters in height on the edge of the bay, made out of red sandstone mortared together. Several small outlets can be seen, which may have been windows or used in the salt-making process. The building is partially covered in ivy and surrounded by trees.
On the south edge of Ascog Bay on the Isle of Bute is a unique site – the mostly unaltered ruins of a salt panhouse. Three hundred years ago salt was made in this building by boiling sea water in iron pans, with coal supplied from a nearby mine. #CoastArch #HESSupported #CoastalErosion 🏺🌊🧂
Happy Hogmanay and all the best for 2025 from all of us at SCAPE!
Thank you to our volunteers, followers, partners and funders for all your support in 2024. We look forward to seeing you as we visit more of Scotland's coast in 2025.
#HESSupported #Coastarch #ScotArchStrat
An aerial view of the James A Wright. his is the James A Wright, an American full-rigged merchant ship built in Bath, Maine in 1868. Sailing from Liverpool to Finland when wrecked off Baile Sear in severe westerly gales on the 11th November 1877. All 18 crew were saved. Photo curtesy of David Newman.
Volunteers investigate the James A Wright.
Volunteers in the hold of the James A Wright.
The James A Wright submerged below the Atlantic.
The final site of our 2024 roundup is the wreck of the James A Wright, off Baile Sear Beach, North Uist. Wrecked in 1877, all 18 of the crew were saved and the ship was sold as salvage. A low tide in March revealed much of the outline of the 150-year-old vessel. #maritimearchaeology #CoastArch
Stronsay high school students help complete a measured survey of the kelping landscape at Grice Ness
Kelp drying walls and kelp burning pits at the coast edge.
Stronsay high school students mark out the future coastline at Grice Ness.
A kelp drying wall at Grice Ness.
Our penultimate site: the Kelp industry on Orkney. Stronsay led Orkney’s kelp production from 1722, producing potash & soda from seaweed for the glass industry. Working with Stronsay High School, we surveyed drying walls & burning pits at Grice Ness, where erosion threatens the site #CoastArch 🪸🏺
Local volunteer Fran showing the scale of the Iron Age structure, not much of which is left. Excavations have shown it is 2000-3000 years old. Nearby are fragments of further walls and an area of black peaty deposit containing crushed bone, shell, and burnt stone. Like many sites in mobile sand dune systems, this one is sometimes visible and sometimes not, and always vulnerable to erosion. More of the site might be revealed in the coming years...
Our third highlight is a magical Iron Age site at Huisinis, Isle of Harris. A circular structure, built with glittering pink & grey Lewisian Gneiss rocks, dates back 2-3000 years. Partially buried in sand, it includes walls, bones, shells, & burnt stones, with more waiting to be revealed #CoastArch
In the lead up to Christmas and as part of establishing our presence on Bluesky we thought it would be fun to share our favourite coastal sites that we recorded in 2024. We’ll post one a day until the 24th. #CoastArch #Archaeology 🏺 #HESSupported
First up - Fassenden’s Wireless Station. 👇
