Visiting the Ness this summer? A few important reminders…

Wednesday, June 19, 2024 (7:23 AM)

Sigurd, in 2023, with a tour group at Trench T/Structure Twenty-Seven. (📷 Kath Page) — A tour group at Trench T/Structure Twenty-Seven in 2023. (📷 Kath Page)

This season we’ll be opening all the main trenches. But although the covers start coming off on Monday, and the site will be a hive of activity, it remains closed to the public until Wednesday, June 26.

Thereafter we are open to visitors, on weekdays, until August 16 – 9.30am until 4.30pm.

So if you’re heading to the dig over the next few months, here’s a few reminders:

Outside working hours, the excavation site is closed to the public.
If you can’t make it to site during the week, we have two weekend open days – Sunday, July 14, and Sunday, August 4.
Please use the dig site car park and not the the staff car park in the adjacent field, which is signposted “No Entry” at the bottom of the access road.

There are no public toilets on site. The nearest facilities are in Stenness village (outside the Maeshowe visitor centre), 1.2 miles (2km) from the dig.
Our public tours are at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on weekdays. They last about an hour and there is no need to book – just turn up in time for the scheduled start.
Commercial tour guides, please see guidelines here.
Visiting the Ness dig site is free, as are our guided tours, but please consider donating. Your donations help keep the project going. You can drop money in the donation buckets; make a card donation with the Meet and Greet staff or simply click here to do it online.
Dogs are welcome, but please keep them on a lead.
In bad weather we may have to close at very short notice. Rain makes it dangerous for diggers and visitors alike and is also very bad for the archaeology. Closures will be posted to the website as soon as possible, so if it’s a very wet day check before setting out.
Although this is the last season of fieldwork on site, it is important to stress that the project continues with the vitally important post excavation phase. Read more here.