While others were perfecting their sourdough recipes, or embroidering replicas of the Bayeux Tapestry, I was working with the members of Mesolithic Deeside and various associated archaeologists to produce a publication of the first three years of work of the group. The final words might be mine – but the hard work was undertaken by many others. I had a wealth of reports and field notes, all supplied by the team, from which to hone our document. There were also extensive photographs, maps and drawings – all put together through the talent of others.

Did we succeed in producing an informative but readable account? Download it from the link here and judge for yourself. I think it is a fascinating story, but then I am biased.

The other thing to note here is all the help and expertise we have received from others. From the National Lottery Heritage Fund who provided the funding that got the group going, to Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service who were always there with support and advice, and Historic Environment Scotland who have supported the final publication, as well as many, many other funding bodies along the way. Then there was the fantastic team at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland who edited and published the final report as part of their wonderful Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports series (wonderful not just for the content but also because it is freely available – not a paywall in sight). And so many people along the way. Community archaeology is a brilliant evocation of the variety of skills that can be brought to bear on unravelling the past when people care.

I won’t say that there were not moments when I woke up in the middle of the night and despaired at the size of the task I had taken on. But for me the end result justifies those odd moments of reflection (and I do love writing).

The work of Mesolithic Deeside continues. No matter how much we know about the work of the past, there is always more to learn. If you want to join in, get in touch with them. It is fun – and healthy! And hopefully there will be more volumes like this one: the finds, and sites, since 2019 are already beginning to mount up!

I spent two days in Inverness at the start of June participating in a meeting to start a review of archaeology across Highland Region. It was organised by ARCH, Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands, and it was a well-attended couple of days with some fascinating papers and lots of good discussion.

The people there were drawn from all walks of life and, while they included a goodly number of professional archaeologists, what really stood out for me was the role of community driven projects across the region. This is something that we see more and more, as dedicated funding for professional archaeology becomes harder to find. There are, nevertheless, other ways to undertake archaeology and, taken as a whole, Highland Region stands out as a glittering example of the work that can be achieved. The knowledge and dedication of those present at the meeting, and of the many others who work hard to research and reveal the archaeology of their area is humbling. It is all too easy to fall back on the professionals and in some cases the lack of funding or personnel becomes the excuse for research to stagnate. Not in Highland Scotland.

From the earliest Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, to industrial and vernacular architecture, and everything in between, it seemed to me that there is not a corner of Highland Archaeology that does not have its own champions working to understand and record sites and records. Of course, there are still hard decisions to be made regarding what can, and cannot, be done. And the work of professionals is still involved, sometimes in partnership: to guide; facilitate; advise and participate where possible. But it is not just the glamour of the field: there is the slog of organisation, fundraising, analysis and publication. Many different skills need to be brought to bear on any single project. There is a huge amount of work going on, often in people’s free time.

It seems invidious to single out any one project, but you can get a good idea of the range of work that exists from Tarradale Through Time, a project that spans the Mesolithic to the Highland Clearances. There is the work done on the Iron Age Broch at Clachtoll in Assynt in conjunction with AOC Archaeology, and the Ecomuseum that has been set up in Staffin, Skye. At Brahan, Ross and Cromarty, records and photographs relating to the fragile remains of a Prisoner of War Camp have been brought together. Highland Region is a large area that has sustained a substantial population over the millennia. Activities have ranged from the predictable (hunting, farming, etc), to the unpredictable (some of the earliest iron smelting took place on Loch Maree in an area now loved for its natural beauty; while at Spinningdale the massive buildings of a failed cotton milling enterprise may still be seen).

The meeting I attended was designed to kick off an assessment of the archaeological resource across the region. It is part of the ScARF project, and a useful task that will serve to assist management and research in the years to come. But I could not help feeling that the biggest resource of the area is its knowledgeable and enthusiastic population.