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Spurnell's Cove

Fowls Heugh, Aberdeenshire, Kincardineshire.

An upper intertidal and mostly supratidal cave system consisting of two, fairly tall, rift type tunnels combined into one cave by a steep overhang. The south tunnel is 47m long and 11m high, the north one 28m long. The overhang is 25m long, 27m wide and about 35m high. A small burn overflows from the cliff above across the entrance.

Its pebble beach is used as a haul-out by common seals in May to August and grey seals October to February.

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: Access: by sea near high tide. At lower tides there are large lumps of fallen conglomerate on wave cut platform to contend with.

The Namebook description has "Two large caverns under the cliff formed by the action of the waves, one of which is said to extend inland nearly a mile." No sign of any such remarkable extent on 15/8/20. It does make it clear that, as with Trough Cove immediately to the north, and Hope Cove a little to the south, 'Cove' means 'cave'.