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Dark Cave (SW)

N Carlingheugh Bay, E Seaton, Arbroath, Angus, (Forfarshire).

Two entrances on either side of the headland, the southern of which is inaccessible from the beach at mid-high tide.

The tall southern entrance is obvious from a distance within the headland at the northern end of Carlingheugh Bay (photo1). It is formed along a sizable barite-filled fault zone that juxtaposes the Upper and Lower Old Red Sandstones. Within is a lofty shingle floored chamber with a slope that leads up to an oddly-shaped (and possibly partly sculpted) boulder known as the 'Deil's Armchair'.

A passage requiring torch light extends through the headland, hence the name of the cave. The cave passage is entirely raised and dry, floored by a red mud / clay sediment that is likely to be reworked soil that originally slumped from the clifftops, with differential infill resulting in variable relief that is somewhat unusual for a sea cave. Once into the upper 'dark' section beyond the limits of light penetration, a strong cold draught is felt, with a walking-sized tunnel gradually dropping down to another daylight-filled chamber where the northern entrance is located formed along an impressive series of barite veins.

Heading back into the cave from the north a passage leads to the highest point in the cave. Although this rapidly closes down numerous small botryoidal stalactite formations can be seen.

The northern entrance at the base of high cliffs has been partially filled by a steep talus slope, requiring an upwards scramble out into the next bay.

Alternative Names: Arbroath Cave [24]

Notes: The NGR is for the SW entrance. The NW entrance is at NO 67199 42878.

Length measured by Iain Greig who also wrote the description, 18 Aug 20.

See the entry for the NE entrance for more photos.