Day 3: Monday 10th July

Refreshed from a Sunday trip to see the sites and monuments of Papa Westray, the team returned to work in earnest. Weather-wise, it’s been a good day, very warm but windy and not a pair of water-proofs or an inquisitive cow in sight (or on site !). Travel-wise, there was an interesting return trip from the island…. more anon.

Archaeologically, the main task of the last few days and those to come is to get the new areas into phase with those levels reached in 1999. Excavation and recording on all sides of the chapel have moved on apace: rubble spreads to the west of the chapel have started to produce sherds of Iron Age coarse pottery vessels. These are similar to the sherds recovered last year from the early buildings in the north-east part of the site. Meanwhile, more of the churchyard enclosure wall is evident to the east of the chapel: just a curving fragment of the north-east corner remains, the rest having been taken away by erosion of the sea-bank.

Detail of the SW corner of the site: the Iron Age pottery sherds were found in the area immediately to the west of the chapel.

Digger of the day: Sam Rowlands ..... happiness is a blue sky and a full bucket of soil !

Our boat broke down ! Luckily Nora (the boat) came to our rescue and towed us into harbour.

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