Where will the Galloway Viking hoard end up going on display?

The fate of the Viking hoard is set to be discussed next month

The story started in a field in southern Scotland more than two years ago.

Metal detectorist Derek McLennan, from Ayrshire, had a history of making significant finds having previously unearthed a haul of medieval coins.

This time, however, his discovery was one which made his senses "explode" and put him in a state of shock.

It turned out to be a haul of Viking treasure with a value running to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Historically, too, it was described as a "hugely significant find".

More than 100 items in total were recovered and subsequently passed to the Treasure Trove Unit in order to decide where they should go on display.

Dumfries and Galloway Council hopes to house it in a new art gallery currently under construction in Kirkcudbright.

"We've always maintained that the hoard was found in Galloway, so it should remain in Galloway," said councillor Tom McAughtrie recently.

Derek McLennan said everyone in Scotland should have access to the treasure

It has committed £100,000 towards the bid but it has been estimated total costs could be up to £1m.

The local authority intended to work up a joint bid with National Museums Scotland (NMS) but the path of those efforts has not been as smooth as was hoped.

The latest report on the subject said that proposals from the national body did not offer "sufficient assurances" of the hoard's availability for display in Kirkcudbright.

At present, both the council and NMS have separate claims in to the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel for the hoard.

It is scheduled to meet on 23 March and both applications could be withdrawn for a joint bid prior to that.

'International significance'

The council is expected to finalise its intentions at a meeting of its communities committee on 7 March.

NMS, for its part, has said it is willing to continue discussions with the local authority.

However, it has not committed to the Kirkcudbright location as the best to put the items on display.

"The hoard is of considerable national and international significance," a spokeswoman said in its last statement on the subject.

"Acquisition by NMS would save it for the nation in the long term and ensure that the hoard is seen by people from Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally."

Dumfries and Galloway Council wants to host the hoard in the new Kirkcudbright gallery

A campaign has been launched by the council to lobby politicians to convince them that Dumfries and Galloway would be the best place to do that.

The clock is ticking on those efforts with about six weeks left before SAFAP meets to discuss the hoard's fate.

And what about the man who made the find himself?

"I am very, very proud of having found it and it is a wonderful, wonderful treasure for Scotland and the Galloway region of Scotland," said Mr McLennan.

"When it is finally publicised in the manner it should be then it is something the whole of Scotland will be proud of."

He declined to enter into the debate over the best location for its permanent home.

"I am happy for it to be on show and I believe everybody in Scotland should have access to it," he said.

"There will be better placed people to make that decision than myself."

Those people will be the SAFAP, of course, but whether they have a joint bid for the hoard or individual bids to consider remains to be seen.