Kinneff Castle cave

S site of Kinneff Castle, Kinneff, S of Catterline, Aberdeenshire, (Kincardineshire).

A supratidal cave, with two entrances, formed on three joints. Joint1 is vertical, running 313 from the NE entrance for 25m, where it intersects with the second joint. (Photos 1 & 2) This runs at 200 deg for 31m to the W side of the S entrance. (Photo 5) At 10.4m SSW from the joint1-2 intersection, it intersects with joint 3. (Photos 6 & 7) There is a short joint 2 extension - 5m - NNE of the joint 1-2 intersection. From the joint 2-3 crossing, the joint 3 wall runs 160 (SSE) for 26m to the E side of the S entrance (Photo 8), and there is a NNW tunnel in the other direction which is 17m long (Photos 9-11) . Joint 2 is sharply angled 67 degees E from vertical (Photo 6), where it is N of joint 3. Joint 3 is angled 18 degrees SW of vertical (Photo 9).

Notes: Access: By land from Old Kirk Kinneff, where you can park beside the graveyard. Needs a low tide. If you go S of the burn, cross into the field (cropping permitting) at NO 85505 74825. Go down the edge of the field and just after the corner, cross the fence about NO 85627 74713. Keeping S of a ruined cliff-top shed, go carefully down the cliff there, keeping to the S of the burn and across a talus pile ending up on the beach S of the newer ruined building. Make your way round the headland and you will soon come to the NE entrance to this cave.

Links and Resources:

25 in First Edition OS: Kincardineshire XXI.15 (Kinneff & Catterline) 1866 Look for Kinneff Castle a bit down and left of Shield Hill; then below that for 'Antique Vase found here'; cave to the right of that. The cave is quite a bit bigger than indicated on this map.
Photo 1 looking into the joint 1 tunnel. The sun was shining directly in through the S entrance along the joint 2 tunnel. There is a promontory at the far left which leaves a 2.6m passage on its R side. Note a layer of not-conglomerate sandstone near beach level.
Photo 2 was a vertical, 3 frame panorama taken from the same spot outside the NE entrance. It shows the joint 1 and a parallel one just to its right, running up from the tunnel arch. The light on the pebbles at bottom left is from the N entrance.
Photo 3 was taken 19m into joint 1 tunnel, looking out through the N entrance. The top of the N entrance is out of sight because the tunnel ceiling is in the way. Lots of flotsam, natural and not.
Photo 4 two frames of a panorama shot showing the rock promontory whose right end is close to the intersection of joints 1 and 2. This is the one at the end of the tunnel in photo 1.
Photo 5 shows the S entrance from about 180m S, looking N. The orange patch at bottom right is a bit of sunlit cliff reflected in a rockpool.
Photo 6 looking along the line (tape) of joint 2 from just inside the S entrance. The purple line indicates the line of joint 3, leading on the left into the NNW tunnel.
Photo 7 looks in the opposite direction, out of the S entrance. Again the purple line shows the line of joint 3. This time the NNW tunnel is right and behind.
Photo 8 was taken from the SE wall of the S entrance, looking along the line of joint 3 towards the NNW tunnel. Note the tape on L which is still on the line of joint 2.
Photo 9 looking into the NNW tunnel from just outside its entrance. Note the pile of pigeon guano (droppings) just beyond the horizontal stick.
Photo 10 The NNW tunnel from a bit further in so that the inner tunnel, beyond the pebble ridge, is visible.
Photo 11 even further into the NNW tunnel. There was a lot of dripping from above on 6 Jan 21.

This entry was last updated: 2021-01-07 18:34:30

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NGR:	NO 85658 74575
WGS84:	56.86237, -2.23684
Length:	80 m
Vert. Range:	8.1 m
Altitude:	7 m
Geology:	Gourdon Sandstone Formation - interbedded sandstone and conglomerate
Tags:	Cave, SeaCave
Registry:	main

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