Archaeologists face a battle against time and the elements to save the remains of a prehistoric settlement at Carghidown, near the Isle of Whithorn, Galloway, in south-west Scotland.
     Consisting of a promontory fort 100ft above sea-level, it was home to the Novantae, an ancient tribe about whom little is known before the Roman Conquest. They were farmers and herders, and the 'fort' wasn't a defensive structure. Within it were two roundhouses defined by dry stone walls, close to one of which three rare lead beads were found.
     But the site has been eroded by wind and the waves at it's base over the years, and could eventually collapse into the sea. The archaeologists are hoping to return to Carghidown next year to further excavate the site, and record as much as possible about one of Scotland's early peoples.

Source: The Herald (27 October 2003)