SWAAG was launched in 2009 by a group of enthusiasts to contribute to the knowledge base of the history of our two dales. We intend to link the historic landscape with the human history of the two dales in a way which is both academically rigorous and informative and instructive for everyone with an interest in the area.

SWAAG is associated with the Friends of the Swaledale Museum and works under the guidance and supervision of Tim Laurie, Co-Director of the Swaledale Ancient Land Boundaries Project, the leading expert on prehistoric landscapes in the area who has many surveys, excavations and publications to his credit.

Our work programme will provide something to interest everyone: training walks and seminars; desk-top research on documents, Google Earth and aerial photographs; site surveying, mapping and drawing (with an emphasis on the use of GPS and I.T.); photography and sketching; geology, geomorphology and historic land use; recording ancient trees and hedgerows; field-walking; excavation; recording and analysis of finds; and producing published reports.

We are currently surveying previously unrecorded Iron Age/Romano-British settlements in Swaledale. We will shortly launch surveys of ancient trees and hedgerows, burnt mounds, and lead-bale smelting sites. We intend over time to study a wide range of sites from prehistoric through Romano-British to medieval and lead mining.