The Dales Archaeology Day 2026 will take place in Middleham on Saturday 21st March 2026.

The venue will be the Middleham Key Centre, Park Lane, Middleham, Leyburn, DL8 4RA.

Talks will begin at 10am and the event will close at 4pm.

Tickets will cost £15 (or £12.50 for full-time students) and include refreshments (tea, coffee & biscuits) but not lunch.  

From Friday 20th February tickets can be booked online.

We cannot accept card payments via telephone or cash sales on the door. You can post a cheque payable to ‘YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY’ or ‘YDNPA’ to: Historic Environment, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, DL8 3EL - including a note with ‘DAD 2026 tickets, the number of tickets/rates and the names of attendees, plus an email address to receive the event info’ (or postal address if you don’t have an email).  

Please note that the programme below is subject to change if needed – the YDNPA cannot be held responsible if changes do have to be made prior to the event. 

By booking for the DAD2026 event you are giving the YDNPA consent to store your contact details for the purpose of delivering and contacting you about the event.

If you have a query, wish to bring a stall or display or have a problem booking please contact DalesArchaeologyDay@yorkshiredales.org.uk

PLEASE NOTE - BOOKINGS WILL CLOSE ON 18th March

Dales Archaeology Day 2026 – Programme

10.00: Introduction – Sarah Whiteley, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA Senior Historic Environment Officer)

10.10: Luke Bassnett Barker (YDNPA Countryside Archaeological Adviser)- Re-launching the Monuments at Risk survey 

10.20: Yvonne Luke (Ingleborough Archaeology Group) – Ring Cairns on the Ingleborough Massif: A new survey project by Ingleborough Archaeology Group 

11.00: Refreshments break (20 mins)

 11.20: Sonia O’Connor (Honorary Visiting Researcher at the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford) and Terry O’Connor (Emeritus Professor of Archaeological Sciences, University of York) – Perforated Spoons of Roman Britain 

12.00: Geoff M. Smith (University of Reading, Senior Researcher in Zooarchaeology) -   Ancient Proteins from Victoria Cave (Yorkshire): Hyaenas, Mammoths, and the Search  for Early Humans 

 12.40: Lunch Break (1 hr 30 mins)

14.10: Kristina Krawiec (York Archaeological Trust, FSA Head of Geoarchaeology) – The Landscape as Archaeology– Investigations into the Deepdale Valley Peats 

14.50: Calum Stott (YDNPA Area Ranger (Cumbria)) – Stones of Strength– Recovering the tradition of Stone Lifting in England

15.30: Discussion

16.00: End