Selches Hole

According to 1st Ed 25in OS, this cave faced due E and ran under the SE corner of Wine Tower.

All that is now visible (2022) is a near vertical joint with what could be the apex of a triangular cave entrance. The rest is under beach gravel. See photos 1 & 2.

'Selch' is a Scots word for a seal, particularly the Atlantic Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus). '-ch' as in loch.

'Hole', in a coastal context, sometimes means a cave, as in this case, and other times refers to an inlet.

It is rather a lonely seacave - the nearest to the W is beyond Rosehearty and E and S beyond Boddam.

Notes: Access: probably by land, with some scrambling, from the Kinnaird Castle site.

Links and Resources:

1st Ed 25in OS shows this a 'cave' with a dotted outline which is compatible with the 100 ft (30 m) claim of the old and new Statistical Accounts.
Scottish Places mentions Selches Hole.
Elphinstone Institute page on Wine Tower. It also validates Selches Hole as the name of this cave.
Photo 1 shows the E side of Wine Tower with the Stephenson Lighthouse tower visible on its right.
Photo 2 closer view of the joint and what may be the apex of the cave entrance. The tide level was 2.8 m ACD on 19 Aug 22 at 17:30 BST.
AA 167 ( 1965 AA Illustrated Road Book of Scotland... 288 36 maps, 175 plates, Automobile Association, London 4th edition.)
Muirhead F (ed) 1947, 322, The Blue Guide, Scotland. liv & 452 & 32, maps
Statistical Account 1791-99 6 10 Under Kinnaird's Head is a cave 100 feet long.
Statistical Account 1845 12 251 ditto.

This entry was last updated: 2022-09-06 19:12:10

Errors or omissions in this information? Submit corrections/additions/comments for this entry to the registrars.

NGR:	NJ 99936 67508
WGS84:	57.69739, -2.00274
Length:	30 m
Vert. Range:	Not recorded
Altitude:	0 m
Geology:	Strichen Formation - metamorphic
Tags:	Cave, SeaCave
Registry:	main

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