Evidence of coastal change is a vital part of SCAPE’s coastal surveys - but it’s not always easy to picture change over time. Our fantastic volunteers lined up along the position of the shoreline at Tentsmuir and the Eden Estuary 120 years ago, showing how much the coastal landscape has changed.

YOU WILL NOT PASS Etched into this remarkable concrete anti-tank cube is the famous anti-fascist slogan "NO PASARAN" alongside a cartoon-like sketch of an enemy soldier. Could its creator have fought in the Spanish Civil War before returning home to defend Scotland's coast? Press articles below>>>

More fantastic WW2 graffiti on anti-tank cubes along the Tentsmuir stretch of the Fife Coastal Survey. They capture the moment marks were drawn into the fresh concrete. This cube "The Kiddies" has personal touch: a smiling British soldier in his unmistakable Brodie helmet. #coastarch

Exciting find from the Fife Coastal Survey: graffitied WW2 anti-tank cubes! Inscribed with "AMPC 56 Company 1940 True Pines" - the company of Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps who constructed them. But the final line is a mystery... Do you recognise "True Pines"? #coastarch #WW2 #truepines

Storms exposed an exciting site this winter at Lunan Bay in Angus - the imprints of human and animal feet in clay. Fortunately two locals spotted them. It is always worth checking the coastline, particularly after heavy storms. Good work all! www.abdn.ac.uk/news/25127/ #Archaeology

Storms reveal rare 2,000-year-old footprints on Scottish beach

Storms which recently ravaged Britain's coastline have revealed 2,000-year-old footprints on an Angus beach - one of only a handful of locations in the UK where markings of this kind have ever been di...

abdn.ac.uk

Happy New Year from all of us at SCAPE! Thank you to our volunteers, followers, partners and funders for all your support in 2025. We look forward to seeing you as we survey Scotland's coast in 2026... #coastarch #hessupported #scotarchstrat

#5- our final pick in our highlights of 2025 - the discovery of a photo archive of Zulu herring drifters at Findorn linked to the fishing boat graveyard we investigated with Findhorn Heritage in 2015. This stunning set of stereoscopic glass plates show them on the shore in 1917.

#4 of our #Top5 2025 - A new date for Newark, Sanday. Fish, whale & dolphin bone, recorded here over many years, suggested a specialised fish processing site. In early 2025 Storm Éowyn exposed stone buildings buried in sand. We sampled fish bone for radiocarbon dating. The result? ...

At #3 a newly identified Rocket Pole, Ness of Duncansby, Caithness Invented in the mid-1800s a mobile rocket apparatus fired a line to a ship in distress. A harness was attached to carry passengers&crew to safety. Rocket poles stood in for the ships mast in practice drills- very few survive!

#2 of our 2025 highlights - coming face to face with history revealed in eroding coast edges… As the sea cuts into the land, it reveals layers of past human activity, like layers of a cake, revealing glimpses of past events. Here’s a few favourites from the Yell and Dornoch surveys. #coastarch

We’ve had an amazing year of fieldwork - here’s our #Top5 2025 highlights: Pick #1 Broch of Burland, Shetland mainland. It looks spectacular from the air and like many on Shetland, is in a highly defended location - bounded by the sea on three sides and with massive banks and ditches.

Gletness made it into the Top 5 archaeological discoveries of 2025! Thanks to our collaborators and volunteers @archshet.bsky.social - we had a great time!

Archaeology Shetland@archshet.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Our Gletness dig made the top five! Thank you to everyone involved, including our lovely colleagues at @coastarch.bsky.social and the endlessly welcoming Jenny and Andy at Gletness. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2570333...

The strong winds of Storm Bram coincided with high tides, potentially causing coastal erosion. When it’s safe you can help monitor changes by reporting any damage you see. Use Dynamic Coast's new Coastal Erosion Reporter tool at www.DynamicCoast.com Thank you! #stormbram #coastarch #hessupported

In 2018, @coastarch.bsky.social raced against the tide to investigate a submerged prehistoric forest on a beach in Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Outer Hebrides) 🌳 It's one of the many sites in Scotland that are under threat from erosion and rising sea levels: www.digitscotland.com/how-to-help-...

The Dornoch Firth Coastal Survey (Mar/Apr2025) Report is out! Highlights: a monumental fish trap, Bonar bridge coastal engineering, & a wonderful discovery of zulu sailing drifter. Download here: scapetrust.org/wp-content/u... #coastarch #scotarchstrat #hessupported

Gletness Excavation Report is out! In May, SCAPE & Archaeology Shetland excavated an eroding Middle-Late Iron Age settlement & a Bronze Age burnt mound. Short visit, big archaeology. Download the Report: scapetrust.org/wp-content/u... @archshet.bsky.social #coastarch #CoastalHeritage #hessupported

A mystery solved. . . Back in May, we asked for help identifying a wreck in Sandladie Voe, West Sandwick. Amazingly, someone gave us a possible name: Candace. #hessupported #shetlandwreck

Join us on the latest Walk of Discovery in North Yell, Shetland. First up is the broch at Fillacomb point, not much to see except the faint outer traces of the bank. The coastline is exposed to the high energy of the North Atlantic Ocean battering against the rock (1/4)...

Tovakuddas are coastal rock pools and clefts used by Shetlanders between the 12th to 17th century to shrink or waulk 'Wadmal' - a handwoven wool cloth. The cloth was secured in these protective pools and the motion of the sea strengthened and thickened it... (1/3) #tovakudda #hessupported

This remarkable site at Sands of Breckon, Yell, is revealing layers of history. Coastal processes have exposed prehistoric houses and burial cairns. @archshet.bsky.social @standrewshist.bsky.social #HESsupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat

Our excavation at Gletness in Shetland with @archshet.bsky.social revealed the heat-shattered stones of a burnt mound, a beautiful, manly limestone paved area, and excitingly, the closing slabs at the top of subterranean corbelled structure - possibly the roof of a Bronze Age well! #hessupported

Sand layer from a possible tsunami 1500 years ago. A penny road built as a famine relief project in the 1840-50s. Eroding prehistoric settlement and a giant noost! Just a few highlights from the June survey in Yell. Huge thanks to everyone. Yell is a very special place. We had a wonderful time.

What progress over just 4 days with the amazing @archshet.bsky.social on the Gletness dig. One or more big Iron Age buildings and a Bronze Age burnt mound. Done and dusted for now. Thank you everyone! #HESSupported #coastarch #ScotArchStrat

Gletness Day 2 with @coastarch.bsky.social

Excellent first day with @archshet.bsky.social on the Gletness dig. Thank you everyone! #HESSupported #coastarch #ScotArchStrat

You can’t do a coastal survey in Shetland without encountering brochs. These epic monuments of the Iron Age never fail to impress and interest us. What's your favourite Shetland broch? #hessupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat

You never know what’s round the corner. This re-used saddle quern hints of a nearby prehistoric site - and sure enough - a few paces further, an Iron Age settlement is revealed in the eroding section. We look forward to returning to Yell in June for more! #hessupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat

Shetland horizontal mills - used for a 1000 years - now mostly ruinous. You will find them alone or in groups, like these examples in North Yell. An intact working example survives at the Crofthouse Museum in Dunrossness which you can visit! #hessupported #coastarch #scotarchstrat

Building of the day - a ruinous Böd – (store with accommodation associated with commercial fishing) on the shore at Lindburn, West Yell. We'd love to know more about the history of this interesting building! #hessupported #scotarchstrat #coastarch

Looking forward to heading up to the beautiful island of Yell, Shetland for coastal surveys with the community 20-24 May and 4-6 June. Join us as we explore this historic coast or get in touch with your knowledge of Yell’s coastal heritage and coastal change #Coastarch #Hessupported #ScotArchStrat