Archaeology Festival to showcase Highland’s historic past
A celebration of the heritage of the Highlands starts on Saturday, featuring some of Strathspey and Badenoch's gems.
For three weeks, the Highland Archaeology Festival (HAF) will offer a range of walks, talks, workshops, exhibitions, special children’s activities and other events for all ages. The much-anticipated festival, organised by The Highland Council, features events and special exhibitions at museums throughout the Highlands, as well as geocaches and trails exploring our rich heritage from prehistoric times through to the 20th century.
Councillor Ken Gowans, Chair of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee said: “Archaeology enriches all our lives, fascinates young minds and contributes greatly of our understanding and creation of community and place. The Highland Archaeology Festival is the premier event of its kind in Scotland, and attracts people from a wide area. We live in communities where the heritage is so accessible, with many local societies and museums promoting their local area and undertaking important projects.
"Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy notes that archaeology is for everyone, contributing to our wellbeing and knowledge, and to our economic growth and quality of life. What better way to showcase this than by a festival stretching across the Highlands and celebrating the range and diversity of Highland heritage? I particularly would like to thank all the event organisers for their time, imagination and effort, as the festival would not be possible without them.”
The Highland Council’s Archaeologist Kirsty Cameron added: “We’re delighted that so many organisations and museums have offered activities to celebrate archaeology, history and heritage. We’ve had a great response this year, with over 130 events and exhibitions on offer.
"We are very pleased to have our in-person conference again, this year on Saturday 8th October at Council Headquarters in Inverness after a break of two years. To compliment this, we have also organised six online sessions for those who can’t make the conference. Our keynote talk, on October 7 at Council Headquarters will be given by Steven Birch on High Pasture Cave. This internationally important site will be published in early 2023, and Steven will provide new insights from the last few years.”
There are activities to tempt people to explore further afield, with events from Caithness to Badenoch, Skye to Nairn. As usual the festival overlaps with the first week of the October school holidays and some organisations have offered special children’s activities. As well as outdoor walks there are also indoor workshops on various topics.
The popular in person conference returns this year with a packed programme provided by professional archaeologists, community groups, academics and independent researchers, all showcasing recent work and discoveries. The conference will take place on 8 October at Council Headquarters, Inverness.
The website www.highlandarchaeologyfestival.org provides further information on all the activities including the conference and special museum exhibitions. It also has links to a growing number of self-guided trails and a list of museums open during HAF. For those who don’t use the internet, a list of sites can be sent out: contact 077888 35466 to request a copy. Copies can also be found at libraries and can be downloaded from the HAF website. The website also has an index of events by geographic area.
The line-up includes more than 14 events in Badenoch and Strathspey including walks to Milton of Banchor, Etteridge to Kingussie, Grantown, Inverallan, Castle Grant, The Dava Way, The Dava Moor and Cromdale.
There are open days at Nethy's Castle Roy and Newtonmore's Am Fasgadh at the Highland Folk Museum. The museum also hosts a Heritage in Action Day. There are special exhibitions at Grantown Museum and Clan Macpherson Museum.
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