Dig Diaries 2026 – Bamburgh Castle

This summer, members of the YAC have been joining excavations across the UK as part of our annual Dig It! competition. In July three lucky winners spent the day at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland with the team from the Bamburgh Research Project.

The Bamburgh Research Project have been kindly hosting YAC Dig It! competition winners for a number of years and the site has yielded many fascinating discoveries. This year’s summer dig has focused on a medieval tower with a reputed well at its base, which could possibly date to the early medieval period!

Let’s find out what the competition winners got up to…

Amelia, 10, from Craven Museum YAC told us:

I was so excited because I won the Dig It! Young Archaeologist competition at Bamburgh Castle, and it was such an amazing day!

When we first got there, we met in the old windmill that is now the archaeology office, which is where the archaeologists work.

Then we went on a tour, with a passionate and exciting archaeologist from Brooklyn, New York called Lauren, she showed us around the  castle and the places where they had done digs on the castle grounds. We learned loads about the history of Bamburgh Castle and what the archaeologists have been finding- we learned that they have found lots of skeletons when they dug in the sand dunes from a burial site.

After the tour, Lauren and a friendly French lady called Clarence showed us some of the things they had already found and explained what they were. Then we had a quick safety talk before stopping for lunch.

After lunch, we got to wash some of the finds. We used little dental tools to clean all the tiny bits of dirt off without breaking anything and it made me realise how careful archaeologists have to be.

Next, we went down into the castle well, a site that has not yet been opened to the public. We saw old graffiti carved into the walls from hundreds of years ago.

The best part of the day was going into the trenches to do some digging ourselves. We were looking for an old defence ditch round the perimeter of the castle. It was much harder than I thought because the ground was really dry. Even though it was hard work, I found lots of animal bones because we think later on things were dumped in the ditch to fill it back up, we also found some unusual rocks.

I had such a brilliant day and learned so much about archaeology. It made me realise how much work goes into discovering things from the past.

Aiden, 14, from Manchester YAC told us:

When we arrived, we were introduced to the archaeologists, who explained about what we were going to do that day. After, we were led on a tour around the castle grounds. Then before lunch, we were given a safety briefing about the site we were going to dig in.

After lunch, we had to clean some artefacts that they had found in various sites around the castle. They were mostly animal bones and shells. After that, we walked down to a well they had dug out at the bottom of the castle, and they took us into it. 

Then, we went to the dig site were we were tasked to find a medieval trench.

My favourite part of the day was when we went to the well because it was cool to see how it had been constructed and the fact that it still had freshwater in it. 

I like history, so it was interesting to find out the history behind the castle, and the dig site. I also learned about the history of the nearby areas like Lindisfarne and Saint Aidan.

Ania, 15, from The Auckland Project YAC, told us:

I was one of three lucky winners who was gifted the amazing opportunity to participate in a dig at Bamburgh Castle. We started the day with a tour around the castle grounds with our guide Lauren, who told us incredible stories from the graves near the carpark to tales about St Oswald. She also taught us how to recognise the difference between the reconstructed parts of the castle and the older Norman parts that were an orange colour compared to the grey of the newer stone.

After our tour, Lauren and Constance showed us some of their recent finds and we washed some other finds such as bones and shells. Later on, we visited a recently discovered well that wasn’t open to the public. This made me feel very privileged as I walked down the uneven steps to see the well and some old graffiti.

For the last hour we dug at St Oswald’s Gate using the tools that we had been sent in the post. We were looking for evidence of a ditch and although I didn’t find a lot, it was lots of fun to be trailing in the very tough ground feeling like an archaeologist. I had a fascinating and exciting day that was perfect for someone like me who loves archaeology and history.

I would like to thank Lauren and Constance for introducing me into the wonders of Bamburgh Castle and for such an amazing day.