Archaeology week reveals secrets

Archaeological field work will be carried out, along with talks and walks

Historic churches, old mills, castles and even Perth prison will be revealing their hidden secrets during Perthshire Archaeology Month.

Throughout June there will guided walks, exhibitions and talks focused on the area's past.

People will also be able to get "hands on" at excavations and surveys.

The event started back in 2003 as an archaeology week but has since expanded because of the number of people wanting to get involved.

'Well preserved'

David Strachan, from the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, explained why the area was such a wealth of archaeological treasures.

He said: "Perth and Kinross really straddles the southern Highlands and the midland valley, so we have very diverse natural environments from the Tay estuary, part of the midland valley and also including mountainous areas as well.

"These varieties of landscapes and topography mean there are lots of different types of very well preserved archaeology.

"Also, its location in terms of Scottish geography makes it really important in terms of lots of things in the past.

"So we have very rich Roman remains, but we also have things like Scone, and in terms of prehistoric monuments and shielings [17th/18th century upland summer dwellings] and later archaeology - a lot of that survival is down to a lack of clearance and lack of improvement that occurred in many other areas of Scotland."