On a gloriously sunny Saturday, 33 people turned up to the Mill on the Fleet to learn how to lead guided tours around Trusty's Hill. The training event, led by GUARD Archaeologist, Ronan Toolis, one of the co-directors of last year's Galloway Picts Project, focused on how to explain Trusty's Hill and what the recent finds can tell us about the significance of this ancient hillfort and will hopefully lead to some form of local legacy for last year's excavation.
Starting at the Mill on the Fleet, with a short presentation, the group made their way to the hill. Split into groups and armed with notes of the key findings from the excavation, each group was given a part of the site (such as the Pictish carvings, the rock-cut basin, the vitrified ramparts and the interior summit) to explain to the other groups. A lot of discussion took place and it was encouraging to hear such enthusiastic engagement with local archaeology. It seems unlikely that Trusty's Hill will be forgotten, with so many people now willing and able to show their friends, family and visitors the rich archaeological heritage on their doorstep.
This free event was part of the Gatehouse Development Initiative's All Our Stories Gatehouse of Fleet in the Dark Ages project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which was created following the interest in last year's excavation.
