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Burghead and Branderburgh [Overview]

Burghead, Lossiemouth, Moray, (Elginshire).

Generic.

No site of interest at these coords.

Alternative Names: Burghhead, Lossiemouth

Notes: There are no sea caves at either Branderburgh (now a district of Lossiemouth) or in the cliffs along the Burghead promontory. The reference to caves in this area by Steers (ref in CoS) must refer to the numerous sea caves in the vicinity of Cummingston & Covesea, located between Burghead and Branderburgh.

The only site of subsurface interest at Burghead is the man-made Burghead Well. Several small-scale sandstone quarries were formerly worked around Burghead, particularly at Masonshaugh and upon Clarkly Hill where they have been infilled. There are no explorable sites at Branderburgh / Lossiemouth, only the sites of a former lead mine (see Lossiemouth Mine) and the lost oratory of St Gerardine's Cave that was obliterated by one of the multiple quarries that were worked in Lossiemouth. These quarries are now either heavily overgrown (e.g. Lossiemouth East Quarry, running alongside Quarry Rd), or completely infilled. Some of these (particularly Lossiemouth East Quarry) yielded a number of reptilian fossils of Triassic age, as distinct from the Permian fossils found further west at Clashach Quarry (between Hopeman & Covesea), and at Masonshaugh just east of Burghead. [I. Greig]

Previously noted as Aberdeenshire.

Do not confuse with Borough Head Caves (Burrow Head Caves), Wigtonshire.

Lengths are given in entries for individual caves.

Given location reflects the original imprecise coordinates provided for Lossiemouth Mine in GMMoS.