Applicant: The Highland Council
Location: Strathnaver, Highlands, Scotland
Grant awarded: £142,000
Total project cost: £190,081
Grant programme: Heritage Grants
Type of heritage: Countryside and nature conservation, archaeology
Aims of the project
To create an archaeological trail in Strathnaver that links and interprets 29 archaeological sites.
Background to the project
Before this project, the Highland Council had undertaken extensive research and public consultation for local interpretive strategy plans. This research identified heritage trails and interpretation as priorities for education, conservation and tourism.
The Strathnaver trail was intended to guide visitors around a wide range of sites, including the remains of Neolithic horned chamber cairns, Bronze Age cairns and hut circles, Iron Age brochs, Pictish carved stones and pre- Clearance townships. The 29 sites include 12 Scheduled Ancient Monuments, one listed building, and several other monuments that provide good examples from different periods.
The landscape of Strathnaver has evolved under human influence for at least 6,000 years. Together, these structures create a powerful picture of life throughout several millennia in what is now an almost deserted landscape. All the sites lie within a compact geographical area. In addition to its prehistoric sites, which have made Strathnaver a favourite venue for university and archaeology society field trips, the area has historical associations with key events and personalities during the infamous ‘Highland Clearances’ of the 18th century.
What did the project involve?
The trail was developed in consultation with Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and was based on the existing local road structure. Its total length is 26 miles (42km). The project involved the creation of small parking areas, waymarked footpaths and interpretation boards. Wherever possible, new paths were made accessible to people with disabilities. The Highland Council worked with the Countryside Ranger Service to provide educational opportunities for individuals and groups, centred round the trail.
Of the 29 sites, 14 are in private ownership. Access to these was successfully negotiated by the Highland Council. Four local landowners donated car-parking areas for the trail. The trail was created using a minimum of intervention other than waymarking. Scheduled sites were protected by geotextile material laid on to the surface of the turf, and pathways were laid with a self-binding stone-mix, using a geotextile base or boardwalks on boggy or unstable ground. Measures were taken throughout to avoid disturbing archaeologically sensitive areas or damaging the thin topsoil.
The interpretive material was designed for people of all ages and abilities. It comprised illustrated interpretative panels and a guide booklet in four languages, including Gaelic. All roadside interpretation was set on plinths at wheelchair height. After delays to the project caused by the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 and the legal process of arranging access to all areas covered by the trail, the trail was fully open in spring 2004.
What difference did the project make?
The trail connects many important prehistoric and historical sites, some of which were previously not publicly accessible. Nine sites are now specifically accessible to wheelchair users, and a further six are visible from the road. Information on the 29 sites included in the trail is much more widely available than before, encouraging people to visit. By making local people more aware of the value of their archaeological heritage, the project should also lead to these assets being more carefully respected by land-users and visitors. Local people were employed to construct the trail and they will also be responsible for maintaining it. There are also follow-up projects to provide additional services for visitors. The RSPB and SNH have expressed interest in funding a local Countryside Ranger for the area.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the new trail is attracting significantly more visitors to the area. Other local groups in the Highlands and beyond have shown an interest in taking up the Stathnaver heritage trail as a model.
How did the project meet our criteria?
The project helped to open up access to heritage and enable people to enjoy and understand their heritage. It will indirectly help to conserve heritage by raising awareness of its significance.
Useful tips
The expert who assessed this project for the Heritage Lottery Fund commented, ‘This is a project which spends small sums on a large number of sites to bring them all into a condition where the average interested visitor can access them and derive education and enjoyment from them. It is a far more suitable type of project for the local area than a million-pound refurbishment of any single site, and is also more suited to the nature of the remains that are to be presented.’
Project organiser Marlyn Price comments, ‘We have been able to pass the lessons learned from our development work on to other groups, and I think this has been very valuable. In general, there is scope for sharing even more information between different lottery-funded projects.’