Herald: The discovery of a Viking "patio" conjures mental images of post-raid burnoffs or relaxing evenings in the hottub. Sometimes it just goes wrong. Archaeologists working on an excavation near Buckhaven, Scotland were puzzled by massive stone slabs laid into the ground, but after more study, the stones were determined to be part of a patio built in the 1940s. The scientists, who had hoped to find the first permanent Viking settlement in Scotland, were disappointed by the realization that the stones were modern. Evidence of Viking activity in the area has been discovered, but no Norse settlements have been found.

The article continues with a chronology of the Vikings in Scotland: "How to tell your Norse from your patio."