Kirkcudbright witnesses Viking invasion to mark return of Galloway Hoard

Kirkcudbright witnessed another Viking invasion on Saturday – more than 1,000 years since the first Norsemen plundered Galloway’s Solway shoreline.

In town as part of celebrations marking the Galloway Hoard exhibition opening, the latter-day Vikings sailed up the River Dee in a longboat and landed near the primary school.

(Jim McEwan)

The warrior men and women – all dressed in traditional Viking costumes – then set up camp in a makeshift village opposite Kirkcudbright Galleries before re-enacting a battle at Mote Brae, which is said to have taken place at the same spot in Viking times.

The clash of swords and axes on wooden shields drew a sizeable number of spectators – despite the pouring rain which fell throughout the skirmish.