Is this the way to Vindolanda? (Vindolanda Trust)

Member Name: GuruOnAMountain

Product:	Vindolanda Trust
Date:	20/05/07 (84 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very interesting and you'll meet friendly people.

Disadvantages: Can be dangerous and might not be everyone's cup of tea.

I've just read Helencb's excellent review on Vindolanda and thought I'd write about my experiences of the site from a slightly different perspective.

I was first attracted to the site when I studied archaeology and was looking for a dig to go on. Vindolanda accepts volunteer excavators every year with applications for potential diggers going live on their website www.vindolanda.com round about December every year and no prior excavation experience is required. Vindolanda is located in the small village of Bardon Mill which lies between Haltwhistle and Hexham. Vindolanda itself was constructed before Hadrian's Wall, but is located nearby and both military and civilian remains exist on the site.

Excavations start in April and continue through until September with two separate teams working on two separate areas. Volunteers are expected to dig for two weeks, but many volunteers choose instead to do just one week, while other volunteers arrange to do more than two. Volunteers are charged £50 whether they dig for a week or a fortnight and an additional £15 to become Friends of Vindolanda, if they aren't already. The price of excavation includes an excavator's t-shirt to make you feel very exclusive and important! Volunteers are not provided with accommodation and have to arrange and pay for that themselves, but food bought at the on site cafe is subsidised to an extent and everything else needed for excavation is provided for them so there is no need to go out and buy your own trowel and bucket!

The site attracts around 300 volunteer excavators a year and many of them return year after year. Excavation is a great way to learn about the site and history of the area and the site through getting involved but can also be at times quite physically demanding and conditions can often be quite uncomfortable. However, the other volunteers and the excavators in charge are extremely friendly and helpful and there tends to be a great feeling of comradarie which can cheer up any despondant excavator when they're knee-deep in mud on a nippy, rainy day. Of course, there is a great feeling of satisfaction when you dig something out of the ground, even if it is only a small pottery sherd.

For anyone nervous about excavating for the first time there is plenty of help at hand. Whatever an excavator is asked to do will be explained to them and their work will be checked now and again so there really is no need to worry about destroying the area you're digging in! The day tends to fly in especially since it is broken up with plenty of breaks given to allow some brief relaxation, a chat and a chance to get some heat back into your body.

You could be asked to do many different jobs as a volunteer excavator. You could be asked to remove large amounts of mud in a wheelbarrow, or you could be delicately trowling back an area, or you could be cleaning the mud off pieces of pottery and bone that have been discovered during the course of excavation, but no matter what job you're given to do, you'll be made to feel very welcome and made to feel like you're contributing to the history of the site.

As Vindolanda is open to the public there is a good chance that you'll be questioned by visitors. You'll have been given a briefing about the site on your arrival and if you feel confident enough in your knowledge of the site you'll be able to chat away and answer their questions, but if you feel more comfortable shovelling mud than you do blethering to enquiring members of the public, that's also fine and you can point them in the direction of one of the site supervisors.

Excavators work 5 days a week (the days vary depending on which site you work on) which leaves 2 days a week for you to recover if you've agreed to do the fortnight. There's plenty at Vindolanda itself to fill some time if you're stuck for something to do in your days off with many of the Roman remains on display as well as a museum and some reconstructions such as a temple all on site. If you have a car there are also plenty of other Roman sites nearby to visit or if you're not completely knackered you could even walk some of the Wall. Also, both Carlisle and Newcastle are nearby if you fancy fitting in some shopping.

Excavation can be hazardous and is certainly not suitable for children but for adults it can be an interesting, thought-provoking and unusual holiday. The only problem is, you might discover you enjoy it so much that you want to come back every year!

Summary: Volunteer excavation at Vindolanda.