Watching Brief

Date 31 May 2016 - 8 June 2016

Event ID 1034596

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1034596

Under the terms of its PIC call-off contract with Historic Environment Scotland, Kirkdale Archaeology was asked to undertake a watching brief during further work to remedy poor drainage in the area of the footpath leading to the Ring of Brodgar. The current approach to the site is from a car park located to the north of the monument. Visitors cross the public road to a footpath leading to the site, and it is this footpath that is often waterlogged at its down-slope, northern end. The intention was to excavate a 250mm deep track below the existing surface, to be infilled with pea gravel. A 'grass-crete' covering would then be emplaced over this and seeded.

The first phase of this work was carried out during March 20161 and comprised the excavation of a 55m long x 2m wide trench running parallel to the nearby road. The second phase of work involved the excavation of a trench of the same depth and width, starting just south-east of the finishing point of the earlier work. The excavation was carried out with a small, mechanical digger with a flat-bladed bucket, under archaeological supervision, and was carried out over two days, 13th and 22nd April, 2016.

The sequence of deposits varied little throughout the excavation, as seen in the area excavated previously. The only variation seen was in the depth of soil encountered beneath the topsoil and over the clay, but even that was slight and was rendered more noticeable since the variation occurred near the depth of excavation.

A Hollinrake 2016

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology