Published 11th Jul 2022, 05:58 BST

Now a journey of discovery is to share a fascinating glimpse into some of the region’s most intriguing heritage secrets.

A festival of archaeology, over two weeks from Saturday, will see events across Yorkshire urging audiences to engage with heritage that surrounds them.

There will be tours of dig sites at stately homes and a famous chalk tower on Yorkshire’s coast, along with a live geophysical survey, walks, talks, and more.

A live geophysical survey is to be held at Fountains Abbey where the ruins of an old tannery were discovered last year, as part of the upcoming Archeology Festival in Yorkshire

Yorkshire’s Neil Redfern is executive director of organisers the Council for British Archaeology (CBA). Last year, he said, the festival’s reach was “incredible” - drawing a digital audience of 70m people with 505 events across the country.

“Everybody has a right, and the ability, to shape the questions we ask in archaeology,” he said.

“This festival is all about helping people realise that archaeology isn’t an ‘exclusive thing’. It’s inviting people to join these conversations, rather than telling them what heritage is.

“The festival is extraordinary,” he added. “I often say archaeology is the process in which we turn one question into five, and then 25 - that is why it is so incredibly engaging.”

The Council for British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology is back for 2022, with events across Yorkshire over two weeks from Saturday, July 16 to Sunday 31.

For fans of the Great British Dig, a location tour is to be held at Beningbrough Hall, with a talk on the series’ finds.

National Trust archaeologists and experts from the University of Bradford are inviting people to join a live geophysical survey at Fountains Abbey, where the remains of a tannery were sensationally discovered last year. In the North York Moors, there will be a talk in Helmsley, and a guided walk at Sheepwash and Scarth Wood Moor, exploring the area’s history through Neolithic times to the 1700s.

One “incredible” untapped treasure is a talk from the Forestry Commission’s Brian Walker, said Mr Redfern, sharing Dalby’s stories in an event called Footsteps Through Time, and the social history of how these woodlands came to be.

In Selby, there will be a re-enactment of the opening of Cawood Bridge in 1872, with an exhibition of documents and photos documenting its construction.

Neil Redfern, director of the Council for British Archaeology, pictured ahead of the launch of its biggest ever archaeology festival.

Then to Flamborough, with its 17th century chalk tower opened to the public, and a special invitation to youth leaders from Bradford Museums Service, sharing history with groups across Scouts, Cubs, Girl Guides and schools on Sunday, July 24.

Mr Redfern, who previously served as an ancient monuments inspector for Historic England in York, is an expert on Yorkshire’s historic landscapes.

Archaeology holds the answers, he insisted, as to how communities survived and thrived, giving insight into issues.

“We often view history as linear, moving towards progress,” said Mr Redfern. “Another way is looking at the challenges that reappear, time and again, and that is valuable information.”

The archaeology festival, from Saturday to July 31, will see events across Yorkshire and nationwide, marking the CBA’s biggest year yet.

Under a theme of Journeys, it encourages people to discover the archaeology that surrounds them. Among events aimed at young people is Marvelous Metals, with Bradford Industrial Museums, and another for youth leaders with activities delivered by AncientCraft, with travel bursaries available.

Yorkshire's hidden histories and intriguing secrets to be revealed at festival of archaeology