The last day started fine after a dry night but with the forecast of rain for later in the day. In order to ensure the tents were put away dry, the finds team set to work collecting up all the equipment not in use and taking down and packing away the tents.
All the tents are packed away Photo © Pat Carroll
Meanwhile the area attacked with mattocks yesterday was scraped clean so that Roger could decide that after many years of work on DF the site had finally reached natural.
The last use of trowels Photo © Pat Carroll
The last plans were drawn, the surveying was finished off and the last photograph taken so that after lunch all that remained was to backfill. It is as well that the previous finds team members visited the site yesterday as they would have seen a rapidly disappearing trench today
The backfilling begins Photo © Pat Carroll
By the end of the afternoon a group of exhausted people staged down the hill for the last time. At least the backbreaking work shifting four years worth of excavated rock back into the hole had dispelled the hangovers from the farewell party for Michelle put on by The Blue Bell in Kettlewell the night before.
The final team Photo © Pat Carroll
So with a collection of over 550 different finds bags, the 2011 Chapel House Dig ended and we now must look forward to what 2012 may bring.
Farewell DF Photo © Pat Carroll
Pat Carroll
