Country celebrates history
With the annual Festival of British Archaeology about to be celebrated, the Lake District is set to highlight its own rich history.
Between 17 July and 1 August over 650 events are being staged nationally in an extravaganza taking in excavation sites, behind the scenes tours, workshops, exhibitions and talks.
Designed to introduce archaeology in action, the festival fortnight is a showcase of some of the best examples of the country’s heritage.
Lake District National Park archaeology and heritage advisor, Eleanor Kingston, said there was an increasing interest in ancient sites and artefacts and LDNP’s current travelling exhibition ‘Unlocking the past, understanding the present’ has been seen by hundreds.
She added: “The festival gives us an added opportunity to encourage even more people to discover the incredible world of archaeology. We are running three events and look forward to welcoming both existing enthusiasts and newcomers.”
Coniston is the place to be on Tuesday 20 July, when an 8 km guided walk will introduce Walna Scar’s prehistoric ring monuments, cairns, and stone circle.
More prehistoric cairnfields – along with a medieval longhouse site – will be explored in the Duddon Valley on Tuesday 27 July in a 7.2 km tour.
The festival will be marked in a two day gathering at Brockhole, the Lake District Visitor Centre on the shores of Windermere, on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 July.
Eleanor explained: “We want to encourage history fans of all ages to come along and meet a prehistoric man, find out about life in the past, and even have a go a flint knapping –making the tools that prehistoric man used.
“All these events are free and offer compelling insights into how our forebears lived and helped shape our spectacular landscape.”
Anyone interested in taking part should ring 0845 272 0004 or go to our Events section. Information on events planned for the Festival of British Archaeology across the region can be found at www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk (opens in new window).
