Galloway Viking hoard to hit the road

The hoard will go on tour across Scotland from 2020

A "remarkable" Viking treasure haul unearthed by a metal detectorist in Galloway is to be taken on tour.

Funding has been secured to put the hoard on show in Edinburgh before it hits the road to Kirkcudbright, Aberdeen and Dundee in 2020.

Once the tour is completed it will go on long-term display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

A "significant and representative portion" will also be shared with the new Kirkcudbright Galleries.

Fiona Hyslop said the collection was one of the most important ever discovered in Scotland

The items were unearthed by a metal detectorist in Galloway four years ago

The Scottish government has put £150,000 towards the tour, including the conservation work being undertaken to allow it to take place.

The hoard was discovered in 2014 in Galloway by metal detectorist Derek McLennan from Ayrshire.

There were bids to put it on display in Kirkcudbright and Edinburgh with the capital eventually coming out on top.

National Museums Scotland (NMS) raised nearly £2m to provide its permanent home.

Where will it be seen?

Kirkcudbright will host the collection between December 2020 and September 2021

The tour will take the hoard to the following locations:

• National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, May to November 2020

• Kirkcudbright Galleries, Kirkcudbright, December 2020 to September 2021

• Aberdeen Art Gallery, October 2021 to January 2022

• The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum, February 2022 to late August 2022

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "The Galloway hoard is one of the most important collections ever discovered in Scotland and I am pleased that this tour will allow for the hoard to be made available for the people of Scotland and our visitors in the years to come.

"The Galloway hoard opens a window on a significant period in the history of Scotland and shows the important role that our archaeological heritage plays in Scotland's culture."

As well as the tour the latest funding has helped conservation work on the treasure

NMS director Dr Gordon Rintoul said they were "extremely grateful" for the funding for the hoard's conservation and tour.

"The Galloway hoard is an outstanding collection of Viking-age objects and our research into this find will transform current interpretation of Scottish history," he said.

"I am delighted that thanks to generous funding from the Scottish government we will be able to take the Galloway hoard beyond our walls to museums across Scotland and ensure that the greatest possible number of people have the opportunity to enjoy this remarkable treasure."