Open day at The Cairns excavation

At the end of the third week of a four-week excavation, the dig at The Cairns, South Ronaldsay, is hosting a public open day tomorrow, Friday.

The 2015 excavation — the ninth season on site — began on June 15, and ends on July 10. Overlooking Windwick Bay, The Cairns is a massive archaeological jigsaw puzzle, with a sequence of Iron Age buildings, representing centuries of use, clustered around a massive, well-preserved broch.

Last Friday, the team discovered the entrance to what appears to be an underground chamber. Although filled with water, given the architecture of other brochs, it is thought that a secondary entrance could lead deeper into the earth.

To find the site, follow the A961 through South Ronaldsay and turn left at the Windwick signpost. Follow the road round to the left then right and down the hill. Access is by the new house on the right.

Click here for more photographs.