Dig With Us!, Derwentcote Steel Furnace, Durham, until July 19

As hands-on as you can get, Newcastle University and English Heritage are inviting volunteers to help excavate a set of 19th century forgeworker cottages near Ebchester. Kit and training are provided during the drop-in sessions.

Exploring the Ditherington Flax Mill and Maltings, Flax Mill Maltings, Shrewsbury, July 20

A
day of tours and stories at the internationally important site,
currently being cared for by a Friends group established three years
ago. Seven listed buildings include the first, third and eighth cast-iron
framed buildings in the world.

What can you Learn from an Ancient Sock?, Manchester Museum, Manchester, July 21

With the help of the on-site Coptic sock from 7th century Egypt, knitters will get the chance to have a crack at a millennia-old craft based on experimental archaeology’s defined science of faithfully copying ancient technology.

Excavating Medieval Castell Coch: A Victorian Expedition, Castell Coch, Cardiff, July 22-24

Reconstruct the excavations of the 1800s, guess the precise nature of treasures and record potential gems as you go during hourly tours of the majestic castle with Victorian uppers on medieval foundations.

Whithorn Archaeology Fortnight, Whithorn Story Visitor Centre, Whithorn, until July 27

Accompanying the excavations at the Iron Age crannog (to which volunteers are invited), these sessions include ancient plant and animal identification and the use of tree ringing when it comes to dating historic buildings.

Archaeology Day, Lutterworth Museum, Lutterworth, July 27

Find and identify strange old objects, wear a Toga or feel the might of Roman armour, design a mosaic and see how artefacts and flint tools are conserved. Replicas available for handling come from the excavations at Tripontium.

Hands on History, Dover Museum, Dover, July 27

Eye up thousand-year-old items and wield a metal detector under the direction of local experts as part of an Egyptian-themed family day. Local Finds Liaison Officer Jennifer Jackson will also be on hand to identify your favourite finds.

Archaeology Day, North Down Museum, Bangor, July 27

Metal-pouring
and coracle building in Northern Ireland, as well as storytelling, a
mini-dig and falconry, all to the tune of musicians playing on Bronze
Age horns and Ice Age trumpets.

Ice Well Open Day, London Canal Museum, London, July 28

From Norway to King’s Cross, natural ice was a hot frozen import between 1857 and 1904. Descend into the Victorian ice wells behind the museum to hear about the recent conservation of the floors and rebuilt pier.

The Horse Hunters of Cheddar Gorge, Museum of Prehistory, Cheddar, until September 1

Re-enactors dressed in deerskins rattling off those handy Stone Age survival skills of flint knapping and firemaking, human and animal bones left in the caves at the end of the Ice Age 14,700 years ago, dressing up, pewter smelting, cave painting and pinch pots in Somerset.

• Want more? See our listings from the Festival of Archaeology or visit the festival online (links open in new window).