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Dickmont's Den Cave [NW entrance]

NE of Victoria Park, Arbroath, Angus, (Forfarshire).

'Looking down from the top of the cliff when the tide is in and the sun shining, there is seen at this cave the appearance as of two large eyes, which have been locally named the " Devil's E'en." There is a very distinct echo in the Den.' Mr George Hay in his admirable history of Arbroath gives a graphic description of the caverns and cliffs between Arbroath and Auchmithie.

This seacave consists of a nearly straight, fairly tall tunnel running from the SW slot blowhole in the E cliff of Dickmont's Den through that cliff to the E, sea entrance at NO 66815 41635. About 18m along from the SW entrance, another (dry) tunnel from the NW blow/shake hole, entrance joins the main tunnel.

The way down into Dickmont's Den is quite steep and might be rather slippery if wet. The way up from there to the NW entrance at NO 66737 41677 is also fairly steep near the entrance, both going up and again going down into the tunnel - ie a talus pile. This tunnel is the NW branch of a Y, the stalk of which is the tunnel going E by S to the subtidal sea entrance. As the NW branch gets level, it widens at the join and the floor changes from rock pile to smooth topped bedrock cut by several rifts. One of these follows the S wall of the NW tunnel. The NW entrance is 5.6 m wide and 5.3 m floor to ceiling. Based on several other measurements, the altitude of the NW entrance is estimated to be about 14 m ACD. It faces NW and the sloped distance to the join of the Y is about 28 m. Just ESE of the join, the tunnel is 6.4 m wide on the NE side and 2.2 m wide to the SW side.

The SW tunnel is a rift, tall and narrow compared to the NW tunnel and intertidal. It has a number of medium sized boulders jammed in it low down. It also has a shelf on its N side which can be reached from the dividing pillar. There is another rift going from the joint of the Y and about N. This turned out to be a small rift cave inside the main cave. At the low tide, it was possible to go into this. It has a pebble beach. It would be swamped at high tide. It is 6.3 long, 1.6 m wide and 2.8 m floor to ceiling at the entrance. Its altitude is about 3.5 m ACD.

The line of the SW tunnel is facing about 291 degrees (WNW) and the line from the E entrance to the joining pillar is about 281 degrees. This would make the E tunnel 102 m long and the SW branch about 17.6 m long. These three main tunnels plus the inner cavelet tallies to a total length of 154 m.

Kayak navigable from the sea entrance to near where the NW tunnel joins at low tide, and some way along the SW tunnel W of the join at high tide.

NGR is for the NW entrance which is part way up the East cliff of Dickmont's Den and easily visible from the North end of the Den. The lower W entrance is at NO 66731 41661.

Alternative Names: Arbroath Cave 12, Piper's Cave, Smuggler's Cave (Arbroath)

Notes: Variant of Piper legend links Dickmont Law and Dickmont Den.

On the Arbroath Cliff Trail map as (D) Smuggler's Cave.

Access: By sea via East entrance at all tide states. Perhaps via lower W entrance at high tide.

By land: From coastal path steeply down to the NW blowhole/shakehole. There are sizeable boulders.

near low tide, the lower W entrance is accessible from the rocky floor of the Den

Length calculated from NGRs and measurements taken by N Feilden on 13 May 22.