Last updated at 14:58, Thursday, 05 July 2012

HOLIDAYMAKERS planning a relaxing visit to Derwentwater later this month will be in for a shock when they are set upon by a group of marauding Vikings.

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The Norsemen have pledged to pillage anyone they get their hands on in order to raise funds to build a display at the Dock Museum to house the recently acquired Viking hoard.

The museum has again engaged the services of the Herlid Vikings, who thrilled locals with their skirmishes and demonstrations in Barrow earlier this year.

This time, however, the Viking re-enactment group is hitting the road – or, more accurately, the water – in a bid to rustle up some more money.

On July 28, the troupe, led by Bjarni Thorvaldrson – aka Terry Harvey-Chadwick – will row a replica Viking longship seven miles around Derwentwater.

In addition to the donations – or ransoms – collected on the way, people are also able to sponsor the crew on their journey by visiting www.midgardlivinghistory.co.uk.

The longship, called The Gift of the Gael, seats eight oarsmen and a navigator and has been provided by John Platt of Keswick-based watersports business Platty+. Mr Harvey-Chadwick said he was delighted to learn the generous Furness community had chipped in enough money to buy the hoard, which dates back to the 10th century.

“It’s nice to have been able to have played a small part in that,” he said. “Originally this event was going to help (the Dock Museum) buy the hoard.

“But what they need now is money to build a permanent Viking gallery to display the hoard, so that’s what we’re doing now.”

The Viking hoard – comprising silver coins, ingots and bracelets – was found by a local metal detector user near Stainton Quarry in May last year.

Experts have dated the collection back to 955AD and say it represents confirmation Vikings settled in this area.

The Dock Museum – in conjunction will the Evening Mail – raised the £49,500 needed to purchase the hoard from the Crown so it could remain in the area permanently.

The museum’s collections and exhibitions manager Sabine Skae said it was hoped the new exhibition would be open in time for the October half term.

She said the display would explore the area’s Viking history and represent the biggest overhaul to the museum since 2008.

She said: “We’re certainly going to look a lot more at the Vikings in the North West – and Cumbria in particular – which hasn’t really been explored before. We’re hoping it’s going to be a really exciting, interesting and educational gallery.”

First published at 13:21, Thursday, 05 July 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk