Digging deeper

Peatlands aren’t just ecological treasures; they’re cultural ones too. Because peat forms slowly and preserves material exceptionally well, it can protect traces of human life, from prehistoric structures to forgotten boundary markers, often hidden just beneath the surface. This means archaeology must be considered carefully in every restoration project to ensure that, while we rebuild ecosystems, we also safeguard the stories held within them.

To strengthen our skills in recognising and recording these features, the Cairngorms Peatland ACTION team recently spent a day with Highland Archaeology Services, led by the enthusiastic Lachlan McKeggie. Swapping our usual focus on restoration techniques for a crash course in historic environment surveying, we learned how to understand the landscape through an archaeological lens: where to look, what to look for, how to check desk-based records, and, crucially, how to document what we find.

Peatland ACTION team with Highland Archaeology Services Daisy Whytock

It was a genuinely brilliant day in an area covered in signs of past human activity. Armed with Lachlan’s advice, a Geode GNSS receiver and some tablets, we even managed to trace the outline of a possible hut circle despite sub-zero temperatures and short daylight hours. By the end, we’d not only brushed up on our technical skills but also built confidence in spotting heritage features that might otherwise go unnoticed during project planning.

And just a few months later… that training paid off.

While delivering a project on Atholl Estates, Project Officer Joel Johnson was made aware of an unrecorded feature on a project site on Atholl Estate: an old well known as “The Queen’s Well”. The estate keepers knew of its existence, but it wasn’t listed on the Historic Environment Record, meaning it could easily have been overlooked during restoration work. A record of the feature was made by Joel and Project Assistant Tom Fredriksson which was sent to Perth and Kinross Council’s archaeology team, as well as being mapped with an exclusion buffer to protect the feature during operations.

The Queen’s Well Joel Johnson

This reinforces exactly why this training matters. Protecting peatlands requires understanding the full landscape, natural and cultural alike.

This project is delivered through Peatland ACTION, and is also part of the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s Cairngorms 2030 programme. You can find out more about Cairngorms National Park Authority’s peatland work at https://cairngorms.co.uk/our-work/peatland-restoration.