Swandro-Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust

We formed in November 2016 to respond to the destruction of Orkney’s archaeological sites by the sea. Orkney is a group of around 70 islands, of which 21 are inhabited, with a land mass of 975 square km but over 980km of coastline. Many of Orkney's archaeological sites are situated on the edge of the sea and are subject to ongoing coastal erosion. Global warming, the effects of climate change and melting polar ice are promoting higher sea levels and changing weather systems with increased storminess, which is exacerbating an existing problem. Our current excavation project is the archaeological site at the Knowe of Swandro Rousay, Orkney, a 5,000-year-old Neolithic chambered tomb and a large settlement occupied from around 1000BC to AD1200.