Barlocco [Overview]

Generic reference to the area around Barlocco, including a series of sea caves and several mines for copper, lead and barytes.

There is some confusion over the caves of Barlocco as although the two large caves - the Black Cave and the White Cave - are recorded there are no good or consistent descriptions.

The descriptions are contradictory, usually describing the caves as they as visited (in order, either from east to west or from west to east) . Always there is a description of two caves but the descriptions do not match. What is most worrying is that there are actually three large caves at Barlocco (clearly seen on aerial photographs) and several smaller fissures, as well as at least three separate mines.

To add to the confusion the Ordnance Survey has consistently applied the name Black Cove to a narrow rift east of the three larger caves and and White Cove to what (from the older descriptions) could be Black Cove.

Notes: Lengths given in entries for individual caves. There are no caves or mines at the given coordinates, centred on the summit of Barlocco Hill.

Jim Salvona, Pete Ireson and Ivan Young visited in 2004 but were prevented from entering the larger caves by high tides.

Access is along the shore from Rascarrel or from Orroland Lodge but is blocked by deep water at High tide. Orroland Lodge is a privately owned estate with a caravan park. The nearest Public parking is at Rascarrel.

Links and Resources:

Oldham, Tony, 2007, Caves of Scotland: A Bibliography.
Oldham, Tony, 2007, Caves of South-west Scotland, p. 3.
Barnett, T. Radcliffe, 1944, Scottish Pilgrimage in the Land of the Lost Continent, p. 64, Barlocco and Orroland caves.
Dick, Rev. Charles Hill, 1916 (reprinted 1927), Highways and Byways in Galloway & Carrick reprinted in British Caver no. 9, pp. 9-10 Caves in Galloway - between Auchencairn and Dundrennan on the coast ... At the end of Barlocco Bay .... Great Cave of Barlocco ... Coves or Caves of Coveland... and at Graignarget.
Dick, Rev. Charles Hill, 1973 [possibly 1972], Highways and Byways in Galloway & Carrick, reprinted in British Caver no. 36, p. 38.
Dumfriess-shire & Galloway Natural History and Archaeological Society: Transactions, 1880-83, Series II, vol. 3, p. 61.
Harper, Malcom McLachlan, 1896, Rambles in Galloway, 2nd edition, p. 59, reprinted in British Caver no. 36, p. 59.
Macleod , Innes, 1986, Discovering Galloway, p. 173.
Platt, Richard ,1991, Smugglers Britain. Cassell. full text and some pictures previously available at: www.smuggling.co.uk/web/text/smug65.htm but this has now been deleted. The author can be contacted at: www.smuggling.co.uk/details.html [accessed 12.07.07].
Shaw, William Tyson, 1974, Th,e Mines of Auchencairn, in Memoirs of the Northern Cavern & Mines Research Society, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 163-174.
Sloan, John McGavin, 1908, Galloway, p. 94, Black and White Coves both afforded settings to S R Crockett's The Raiders and Sir Walter Scott's Guy Mannering.
2nd or New Statistical Account [NSA], 1845, vol. 4, p. 356. "Two caverns upon the Barlocco shore, called the White and Black Cove".
GSG Bulletin, 4th Series , Vol. 2, No. 2 (October 2004), pp. 15-18.Young, Ivan, 2004, The Black and White Caves of Barlocco.
GSG Bulletin, 4th Series Vol. 4 No.4 (October 2010), p.31. Burns, Dennis, 2009, The Mines of Auchencairn, reprinted from Auchencairn History Society Newsletter, No. 20 (2009), pp. 30-32.
www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/40798/party-coming-ladder-barlocco-caves-earl-selkirk-s....

This entry was last updated: 2024-11-28 11:23:22

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

NGR:	NX 78265 47462
WGS84:	54.80720, -3.89556
Length:	Not recorded
Vert. Range:	Not recorded
Altitude:	Not recorded
Geology:	Criffel-dalbeattie Pluton - Granodiorite
Tags:	Other
Registry:	second

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