Starling Cave (NW entrance)

An upper intertidal seacave system with 5 tunnels and 5 entrances. Two are parallel facing NNE and the third joins them inside with a SE entrance and runs ENE/WSW to a SW entrance. There is a squeeze at about 11.5 m in from the SW entrance. The tunnel from the NW entrance continues SSW beyond the line of the ENE/WSW tunnel. There is a short supratidal tunnel from an inclined slot entrance NW2 just W of the larger NW entrance. Just inside the SE entrance a tunnel goes SSW. The axis plan may be helpful. There is a fairly large cavern centred on the crossing point of the tunnel from this NW entrance and that between the SE and SW entrance.

This entrance is 3.8 m wide at beach level and 2.8 m beach to apex of a roughly triangular section. But diagonally it goes on up 10.5 m at 45 degrees for a short distance inward. See photo 3.

Notes: Access: from beach to the west of the cave at low tide. This can be from the Sandy Creek beach on the E side of Findochty.

Lengths measured on 30 May 24 by N Feilden. A positive check was made across the squeeze on 12 June 24 using a lightweight tent pole - inserted on the SW side and viewed poking through on the SE side - which confirms that the squeeze is short. VR is for the whole cave an is an estimate. Alt is ACD for this entrance.

Links and Resources:

Photo 1 shows the two northern entrances side by side, with this one on the right. 18 Oct 19.
Photo 2 Closer view of this entrance in the centre, with part of the NE entrance on the left. The NW2 entrance slot on the right is not visible from this angle. 18 Oct 19.
Aerial of Starling cave with the tunnel axes indicated. See entry for SW entrance.
Photo 3 this entrance at low tide on 30 May 24.
Photo 4 this entrance from closer on 30 May 24.
Photo 5 looking about NNW from inside - shows the relationship between NW (right) and NW2 (left) entrances. If you carefully, you may be able to see there is a rope running diagonally across the rock face in NW2. It is knotted lower down to allow easier climbing into the slot.
Photo 6 looking out of NW entrance from a bit south of the crossing of this tunnel and the tunnel between the SE and SW entrances. Light from the SE entrance can be seen on the right.
Photo 7 looking ENE along the tunnel to the SE entrance. The object lying some way along it is a tree stump with some of its roots. It probably came from the river Spey. The join with the tunnel from the NE entrance is a bit beyond that, on the left.
Photo 8 looking WSW to the entrance to the extension of the tunnel from the SE entrance on its way to the SW entrance.
Photo 9 looking SSW into the S extension of the tunnel from this NW entrance. Note the planar surfaces. They show no sign of wear from waves plus pebbles so evident in the NW and NE entrances. The hard rock floor may be several metres below the current floor.

This entry was last updated: 2024-06-15 17:23:49

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NGR:	NJ 47263 68278
WGS84:	57.70121, -2.88649
Length:	114 m
Vert. Range:	15 m
Altitude:	3 m
Geology:	Cullen Quartzite Formation - quartzite, psammite & semipelite
Tags:	Other
Registry:	main

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