An archaeologist's dream... maybe if it weren't for the cold and windy Scottish climate. One of my archaeology practicals brought the 40 or so of us to Loch Tay in Perthshire so that we could see a bit of educational and experimental archaeology in action.

Okay, this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the day was actually pretty cool. We went to visit the Crannog which has been built on Loch Tay- for those not archaeological minded, crannogs are in simple terms roundhouses built on wooden structures in Lochs over Scotland and Ireland- and archaeologists will most likely HATE me for that brief description! The views across the loch were beautiful when the rain finally stopped, and it felt so secluded.



 The staff lit the fire inside the crannog, and despite the pouring rain and wind, the crannog was super cosy inside, and you couldn't even hear the gails outside. After a talk about how they are constructed and the evidence we have for them, we had a little nosey about the inside and saw the areas that are thought to be for sleeping, for animals and for crafts.  It was so dark inside though, and hard to believe that people were able to see enough to actually work, but with the fire lit and sitting on the benches padded with wool, there was a somewhat homely feel to it- which is a little odd to think about.

We were then taken outside to brave the winds and shown the technology used in the Iron Age. This included different ways to work wood, to make wool and how to make fire. It was amazing to see our tour guide actually make fire in front of our eyes, and, despite being given at a go at it ourselves none of us came even close to a bit of smoke.