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Dooly Cove
S side of Thornyhive Bay, Aberdeenshire, (Kincardineshire).
| NGR: | NO 87962 82275 |
| WGS84: | 56.93161, -2.19942 |
| Length: | 34 m |
| Vert. Range: | 10 m |
| Altitude: | 4 m |
| Geology: | Whitehouse Conglomerate Formation |
| Tags: | Cave, SeaCave |
| Registry: | main |
A 'missing layer', upper intertidal cave in the SE corner of a triangular cutout in the S cliff of Thornyhive Bay. The wave cut platform in that cutout consists of a wedge of conglomerate with a plane surface dipping at about 20 degrees from about NE to SW, leaving an intertidal channel which just reaches the cave entrance at high tide. There is a low down extension rift cave 10 m inside and low down 9.5 m long, a low down extension cave 3 m long at the back, and another in the high NNE side which is 4.2 m long. The bottom wall of the cave faces 310 degrees (nearly NW).
Alternative Names: None recorded.
Notes: Access: by sea and a landing
Measured 30/6/21 by N Feilden. It is wide mouthed cave and trapezoidal in plan, longer (37m) at the lower side than the high side (17.3 m). This means it is not easy to assign a length to it. The corner to corner length of the back of the cave is 16.8 m and this is sloped 20 degrees, dipping SW. The above length is 17.3 + 9.5 + 3 + 4.2 = 34.
Links and Resources:
- 1. OS 25 inch, 1st Ed, Kincardineshire XVII.12 shows a dotted outline which can be traced on the present Canmore Aerial view of the wavecut platform. It corresponds (more or less) to the present day MHWS line. See photo 1.
- 2. OS Namebook: Dooly Cove - "A large cavern on the south side of Thornyhive bay"
- Photo 1 shows the entrance from the water at 13:52 on 3 Mar 21. LW at Stonehaven was 12:26 and 1.5 m. There are some seals hauled out near the cave entrance, but hard to see in the photo.
- Photo 2 entrance near low water, before landing on 30/6/21. Kelp fronds showing. Tide level 0.8 m ACD.
- Photo 3 entrance from closer.
30/6/21.
- Photo 4 looking diagonally up slope from near the rift extension. 3 m extension is on the right and the 4.2 m one at the top of the back wall - in shadow. 30/6/21.
- Photo 5 looking SW into the rift extension which starts 10 m inside the cave overhang along the bottom wall. It is 9.5 m long, 1.5 m wide at its entrance and 5.1 m floor to ceiling, also at its entrance. See photo 10 for its location. 30/6/21.
- Photo 6 looking NE up slope from the same place as photo 5. In the middle there appears to be a continuation of the same rift as in photo 5. 30/6/21.
- Photo 7 looking about NE up the 20 degree slope from below, and near the back wall. 30/6/21.
- Photo 8 panned a bit left from the bottom right corner. 30/6/21. Photo not taken level - should be rotated clockwise 15 degrees or so.
- Photo 9 panned a bit left from photo 5. Most of the back wall of the cave. It is sloped up 20 degrees. 30/6/21.
- Photo 10 looking out from the high end of the back wall. The yellow arrow shows where the entrance to the cave shown in photo 5 is. Outside, in sunshine, is the beach of Thornyhive Bay. 30/6/21.
- Photo 11 looking down slope to the bottom back corner. 30/6/21.
- Photo 12 the top wall with the extension cave which is 4.2 m front to back, 1.8 m bottom to top and nearly 12 m side to side. Note the yellow floodlight. 30/6/21.
This entry was last updated: 2025-11-05 14:57:15
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