Volunteering

Can I take part in the Roman Magna excavations?

Joining the excavations at Magna is a two week commitment. There are a very limited number of places in each period.

Age – Volunteers on our excavations need to be 16 years and accompanied by a responsible adult or over 18. This is due to the long days and physical work that is involved in excavating. 

Fitness – Excavation is physically demanding. If you decide to join us on the excavations you will need to have a good level of physical fitness, to carry out tasks such as using a spade, wheeling barrows of soil, lifting buckets, and kneeling and trowelling. We aim to make your experience with us a well-rounded one: we want you to leave feeling you have had a taste of most, if not all aspects of field archaeology, and that you have become part of a team. 

If you wish to have more information, please head to our Vindolanda website where you can see an example of a typical day on-site and get packing lists and more. Please do not hesitate to contact our team on 01434 344 277 or email info@vindolanda.com before you make your booking if you’d like to speak to someone about your requirement or if you have questions. 

2024 Dates: We are currently fully booked for 2024.

• Period 1: 1st April – 12th April
• Period 2: 15th April – 26th April
• Period 3: 29th April – 10th May
• Period 4: 13th May – 24th May
• Period 5: 27th May – 7th June
• Period 6: 10th June – 21st June
• Period 7: 24^th June – 5^th July
• Period 8: 8^th July – 19^th July
• Period 9: 22^nd July – 2^nd August
• Period 10: 5^th August – 16^th August
• Period 11: 19^th August – 30^th August
• Period 12: 2^nd September – 13^th September
• Period 13: 16^th September – 27^th September

Costs & Booking:

Two week excavation: £200

The Magna excavations are Excavate Only, there are no places that come with accommodation so you will need to find your own. There are many options and with Carlisle just 20 minutes up the road, you have city accommodation options as well. 

We ask that all our volunteer excavators become Friends of Vindolanda before they arrive to excavate. This means they will be able to visit our sites outside of the excavations and will be invited to our annual Friends Day which rounds up the year and the excavations.

Magna Excavations are now fully booked for the 2023 season. In the unlikely event of cancellations, these will be announced through our Vindolanda Facebook page. Our monthly newsletter is a great way to find out the latest updates from the site and how to visit the excavations when they begin in July.