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Arch of Bullers of Buchan Pot
Bullers O' Buchan, N of Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire.
| NGR: | NK 11018 38116 |
| WGS84: | 57.43325, -1.81815 |
| Length: | 10 m |
| Vert. Range: | 10 m |
| Altitude: | -1 m |
| Geology: | Peterhead pluton - granite |
| Tags: | Cave, Arch, SeaCave |
| Registry: | main |
A subtidal arch facing ENE at the east end of The Pot (Bullers of Buchan). Its width is about 8 m.
"This is the famous pot, at the Bullers of Buchan, having a high, narrow arch at the east end, through which the sea rushes with tremendous force, when the wind is from the east." OS Namebook.
"Bullers of Buchan GCR site. p103 under 1. Long, narrow and deep inlets:
Perhaps the best example of this is The Pot, where a deep rock-enclosed inlet is separated from the sea by a tunnel-like arch. The Pot resembles an enlarged blowhole and during storms this dramatic feature, which is c. 60 m deep and 15 m wide, is awash with a froth of white water as waves crash against the precipitous cliffs." J. D. Hansom
Later he says that The Pot 'is' an enlarged blowhole - although it is unclear what evidence could back this up. It is more likely to be a gloup - the hole left when a part of the roof of what was a large sea-cave, collapsed. There are are number of examples which look like this ie a long open steep sided channel with an arch at the sea end. The Glupe at Duncansby head is one example, Bowduns NW 2 is another. Christie's (or Kirstan's) Hole on Papa Stour, Shetland acquired a second gloup in the 1980's and shows how suddenly this can happen. See photo 5. In one mode, the ceiling loses material by bits dropping off until the roof collapses. Another mode of collapse is if the cave tunnel gets widened by erosion at wave level. See the video by Ryan Leith in the Christie's Hole entry where the low level tunnel is widened on the right leaving pillars which will eventually be eroded away.
Hansom's 60 m depth for The Pot is in error - the OS contours show 30 m or so asl.
Alternative Names: The Pot [Natural Arch]
Notes: Access: by sea eg N from Port Errol, Cruden Bay. Navigable by kayak into the Pot in mild swell conditions.
The Pot can be viewed from the cliff at its west end. Car park at NK 10686 37992 and a short walk.
Length from Canmore Aerial. VR and width scaled from photo 3 and assuming the cliff top is at 30 m asl. Altitude is a guesstimate. Needs to be measured.
NGR is for the sea entrance.
Links and Resources:
- OS has 'natural arch' and, on one high resolution layer, dots for the arch entrances.
- OS Namebook for Aberdeenshire, parish of Cruden, vol 22, p 120.
- GCR Series No 28. Coastal Geomorphology of GB: Ch 3 Hard-rock cliffs, GCR site reports: Bullers of Buchan. By J D Hansom. 2003
- The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D., by James Boswell. 24th August 1773: "We got immediately into the coach, and drove to Dunbui, a rock near the shore, quite covered with sea−fowls; then to a circular bason of large extent, surrounded with tremendous rocks. On the quarter next the sea, there is a high arch in the rock, which the force of the tempest has driven out. This place is called Buchan's Buller, or the Buller of Buchan, and the country people call it the Pot. Mr Boyd said it was so called from the French Bouloir. It may be more simply traced from Boiler in our own language. We walked round this monstrous cauldron. In some places, the rock is very narrow; and on each side there is a sea deep enough for a man of war to ride in; so that it is somewhat horrid to move along. However, there is earth and grass upon the rock, and a kind of road marked out by the print of feet; so that one makes it out pretty safely: yet it alarmed me to see Dr Johnson striding irregularly along. He insisted on taking a boat, and sailing into the Pot. We did so. He was stout, and wonderfully alert. The Buchan−men all shewing their teeth, and speaking with that strange sharp accent which distinguishes them, was to me a matter of curiosity. He was not sensible of the difference of pronunciation in the south and north of Scotland, which I wondered at.
As the entry into the Buller is so narrow that oars cannot be used as you go in, the method taken is to row very hard when you come near it, and give the boat such a rapidity of motion that it glides in. Dr Johnson observed what an effect this scene would have had, were we entering into an unknown place. There are caves of considerable depth; I think, one on each side. The boatmen had never entered either of them far enough to know the size. Mr Boyd told us that it is customary for the company at Peterhead well, to make parties, and come and dine in one of the caves here."
- Photo 1 shows the entrance from a bit outside and not quite north enough to be inline. Taken 19/2/19.
- Photo 2 taken from a bit closer than photo 1. 19/2/19. It shows clearly that a rowing boat crew would have to ship their oars to go through - as explained by Boswell.
- Photo 3 looking out through the arch from inside on 26/9/18.
- Photo 4 looking down into The Pot from near the cliff edge, and through the arch.
- Video taken 24/1/25 during a storm which, according to Windy.com, was generating waves of a 4.6 m significant wave height, from the south. This meant that a) the entry to the Pot was shielded by the headland to the south and b) the waves had to turn west to come in. In spite of that, it can be seen that some waves nearly filled the entrance, but they then got lower as they went into the full width of the Pot. There is a lot of white water and churning, but no sign of water being deflected upwards in such a way that the Pot could be considered an active blowhole. See the video of The Blowhole, Arbroath, to compare. It would undoubtedly be rougher if the waves were coming from the east quadrant, but whether or not that could lift sea water up the full 30 m remains uncertain.
- Photo 5 Christie's Hole - Shows the second gloup which appeared in 1981. See below for more about that cave system.
- Christie's Hole, Papa Stour. This includes a video taken by Ryan Leith into Christie's Hole as far as the second gloup.
This entry was last updated: 2025-01-27 12:30:33
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