Site Event/Activity record EHG4104 - Ground truthing survey - Burn of Whilk, Caithness

In order to evaluate the efficiency of a LiDAR survey in detecting and accurately representing archaeological remains at Yarrows and Burn of Whilk, Caithness, (see EHG4100) a programme of walkover ground observation survey was carried out by AOC Archaeology Group in August 2012. A trial excavation at one of the identified site clusters, Sites 42 and 43 was also carried out in September 2012 (see EHG4108). In several instances it was possible to increase the extents of the archaeological sites recorded by previous surveyors through the identification of additional banks and other features not visible at ground level. The results demonstrated that LiDAR survey is a highly effective means of recording archaeological landscapes, detecting sites and monuments that are not visible at ground level and adding to the recorded extents of many previously known monuments. <1>