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Grum Briggs Arch

Seacliff, Muchalls,N of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, (Kincardineshire).

This appears to be the arch referred to in the OS Namebook description of 'Grum Briggs':

"A rocky peninsula situated on the south side of Grum Haven. The sea has formed a large passage through the cliff at the narrow rock joining the peninsula with the main land." OS1/19/10/85

It is just intertidal. It is 5.6m wide at ground level and quite a bit narrower just above half way up - see geograph.

Alternative Names: Grim Briggs, Grum Briggs

Notes: Access: It can be reached in the bottom half of the tide from Grum (or Grim) Haven - in which case it does not become visible until one has climbed a fair way up a talus pile. Alternatively, from the beach on the S side by going through another arch - see Struny Saddles S Arch - and turning left (NW).

See also Grum Briggs Cave [3] - which has a cave part and a subterranean passage/arch.

For some reason, on the 1902 edition of the 25" map, 'Grum Haven' and 'Grum Briggs' have been changed to 'Grim haven' and 'Grim Briggs'. Also 'Struny Saddles' has morphed to 'Strunie Saddle'. This usage has been continued to the current editions.

In Doric or archaic English Grum means sour or surly and so it would be a valid Anglicization to translate this as Grim (see also Gaelic 'grumach' meaning gloomy).

Brig of course means bridge. This is an Old Norse borrowing into Scots (also Doric and Old English). Briggs is plural so there may at one time have been more than one arch.