Budding archaeologists got their hands dirty at a Crathes Castle dig this month.
The National Trust for Scotland have invited primary school pupils and volunteers from across Aberdeenshire to dig into the secrets in the castle courtyard in their “Dig for a Day” events.
There are daily talks on the project’s progress, and NTS archaeologist Shannon Fraser will give two talks on Crathes’ colourful history over the month.
It’s hoped the excavation will reveal some of the structures that have been lost before the last map was produced in 1798.
“They all come in in the late 18th century, but these big castles would have always been built with a whole series of courtyards and building around it. It would have been a very busy place.
“It’s quite an unusual project we’re doing here - we have a whole mixture of people helping us on the excavations. They’re run by archaeologists from Murray Archaeological Services. Working with them we have very experienced volunteers who’ve worked with other NTS properties, as a sort of core team.”
“We’ve also had a whole series of nine different schools who have been coming into Crathes, learning about what archaeologists do, and as one of the activities they’ve been doing, they’ve actually been helping us excavate.
“In the second two weeks of the month-long project, we’re inviting the public to come join us. So if you’ve got a spare day and want to satisfy your inner archaeologist you can come and join us. Of course, some people join for a day and want to come for another day, and another day, so it's actually quite fun.
“It's very much a partnership project between experienced and volunteer achaeologists, schools and members of the public,” Dr Fraser adds.
The “Dig for a Day” events will continue until October 25.
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