A watching brief was maintained for all ground-breaking works for the excavation of the trench for the water pipe along a section measuring approximately 170m long to the west of Kenmay, starting at the farm track to Boatleys (NGR NJ 72595 16201) and continuing south parallel to the road until the point where it left the field and moves into the road opposite South Lodge (NGR NJ 72724 16079). A 15m wayleave was stripped and the pipe track was excavated to approximately 450mm wide and 1m deep. All ground-breaking works related to this section of the pipeline route was monitored by an archaeologist to ensure that any archaeological features uncovered were exposed fully within the area affected by the development so as to allow further excavation and recording work to take place. Topsoil and any other overburden was removed by a tracked excavator equipped with toothless ditching buckets under the constant supervision and direction of a qualified professional archaeologist, to reveal either the natural subsoil surface or the surface of the first significant archaeological horizon. All excavation and on-site recording was carried out according to standard CFA procedures, principally by drawing, by photography and by completing standard CFA record forms. The positions of archaeological features were recorded using industry standard survey equipment. An archaeological watching brief was conducted during the to replace approximately 5.3km of 4" uPVC water mains in the Blairdaff & Fetternear DMA, near Kemnay, Aberdeenshire. A sub-circular pit (004) and furrows were identified during the works.
Rachel Ford (Sun,) studied this question.