THE Caithness Broch Project (CBP) has announced its first event celebrating the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology: the area’s first coastal survey between two of the highest-profile Iron Age roundhouses.

The project has teamed up with the charity Scape (Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk), which researches, conserves and promotes the archaeology of Scotland’s coast for public benefit, to run the coastal walk with the help of volunteers.

Scape, which has a special interest in remains that are threatened by coastal erosion, said the survey between Skirza and Nybster Brochs from May 5–8 is open to anyone with an interest in this spectacular area, which boasts over 180 brochs.

The CBP, backed by The National as media partner, is planning a host of events this year to help raise money and awareness of its ambitious plans to bring the prehistoric legacy of Caithness to life with a £1million world heritage Iron Age broch site and visitor attraction.

Joanna Hambly, research fellow at St Andrew’s University and project manager of Scape, said volunteers were being invited to walk the coast with them between the brochs to identify and record archaeological sites along the way and explore new recording methods.

She added: “Caithness hasn’t had a coastal survey yet so it is an area we are interested in doing in the future. The May event is like a taster event to get things off the ground. We identify coastal archaeological remains and carry out surveys of them. It is very good fun and very sociable and people get to learn what is in their local area. It is also essential for the archaeological records. There is a lot of the coastline we don’t know much about. It is very important work.”

CBP chairman and co-founder Kenneth McElroy said the project was delighted to work with Scape and that the coastal survey would “help to colour in more of Caithness’s archaeological past”.

To volunteer please contact elg5@st-andrews.ac.uk or 01334 463017.

THE DEAL

THE National is offering new and existing members of the Caithness Broch Project an exclusive discounted deal of 10 per cent off our £125 digital subscriptions as part of our commitment as media partner. What’s more, members who sign up for a year’s subscrip-tion will get a free 12-month Open Fairways golf card or a bottle of Glenfarclas whisky. To claim your discounted subscription, call us on 0141 302 7733, quoting the Caithness Broch Project. To join, go to www.thebrochproject.co.uk