Also referred to as Kinghorn Cave, this is a sizable cave on the beach between Kinghorn and Kirkcaldy. The cave was probably formed by a fissure in the rock which also divided the sandstone outcrop, creating a narrow canyon extending c.20m in front of the entrance. A metal bridge crosses this canyon, part of a footpath which, based on map regression, appears to have been the main coastal pathway before the current Fife Coastal Path which runs further inland.
The cave is at least mostly natural, although human modification cannot yet be ruled out. The cave entrance is just past current HWM, marked by a collection of deposited seaborne rubbish and vegetation, and the cave cannot be feasibly accessed at high tide. The cave floor is c.2.0m higher than the beach, which may be due to the deposits of mud which remain inside but may have been eroded away in front. There is a steep muddy bank at the entrance, presumably marking the tidal erosion boundary.
Inside, the cave has two main sections. The first is a fairly straight passage on the same alignment as the canyon, which is c.20m long, c.2.0-4.0m wide, and reduces in height from c.8.0m at the entrance to c.3.0m at the far end. At the end of this section, the passage angles to the right (northwest) into an inner cavern. The ceiling lowers briefly to below c.1.5m, but once through rises again to c.2.0-3.0m, opening out into a chamber of c.10x10m. About c.6.0m in, a muddy slope begins to rise steeply from the floor to the ceiling, curtailing access.
Even in the rear cavern, c.30m from the entrance, the cave floor is covered in objects similar to those which would be expected on a beach; parts of fishing nets, plastic rubbish, broken wooden planks, and a large number of small stones. There are also soil deposits of unknown depth throughout, although the edges near the walls are generally bedrock, suggesting the soil in the centre is unlikely to be deep. The floor level is fairly constant throughout. Water seeps down through the rock from above, particularly visible in the c.10m closest to the entrance, and a pool of water up to c.0.1m deep has accumulated in the centre of the first section. There are also slimy mineral residues on the cave walls in this area.
No evidence or reference to human occupation has been found, although the size of the cave makes it a likely site for some form of activity. The cave has been surveyed by a caving club, the Grampian Speleological Group, who published a brief report on it in their bulletin of March, 2006, including a plan of the cave produced in 1966. [See pp. 52-54, http://www.gsg.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded-documents/Bull425%20Mar06.pdf]
Location
327756.00
688109.00
27700
56.0803108
-3.1623404
Submitted photographs
Image
Date
Caption
User
09/03/2014
Partial remains of a possible shoe
Laurens
09/03/2014
Detail of floor objects
Laurens
09/03/2014
Entry into inner cavern
Laurens
09/03/2014
View towards entrance from interior, near end of first section
Laurens
09/03/2014
Detail of hole made in the muddy cave floor
Laurens
09/03/2014
Detail of apparent erosion boundary at entrance
Laurens
09/03/2014
Objects and rubbish on floor of rear cavern
Laurens
09/03/2014
View of first and longest section of cave from entrance
Laurens
09/03/2014
Cave entrance
Laurens
09/03/2014
Coastal area and cave, showing bridge over canyon
Laurens
Submitted updates
Update id
Date
User
1605
09/03/2014
Laurens
Tidal state
Low
Site located?
Yes
Proximity to coast edge
Coast edge
Coastally eroding?
active sea erosion; has eroded in the past
Threats
water erosion (e.g. stream, etc)
Visibility above ground
Highly visible (substantial remains)
Visibility in section
Limited visibility in section
Access
accessible - difficult terrain; accessible on foot (no footpath)
Local knowledge
don't know
Description
Also referred to as Kinghorn Cave, this is a sizable cave on the beach between Kinghorn and Kirkcaldy. The cave was probably formed by a fissure in the rock which also divided the sandstone outcrop, creating a narrow canyon extending c.20m in front of the entrance. A metal bridge crosses this canyon, part of a footpath which, based on map regression, appears to have been the main coastal pathway before the current Fife Coastal Path which runs further inland.
The cave is at least mostly natural, although human modification cannot yet be ruled out. The cave entrance is just past current HWM, marked by a collection of deposited seaborne rubbish and vegetation, and the cave cannot be feasibly accessed at high tide. The cave floor is c.2.0m higher than the beach, which may be due to the deposits of mud which remain inside but may have been eroded away in front. There is a steep muddy bank at the entrance, presumably marking the tidal erosion boundary.
Inside, the cave has two main sections. The first is a fairly straight passage on the same alignment as the canyon, which is c.20m long, c.2.0-4.0m wide, and reduces in height from c.8.0m at the entrance to c.3.0m at the far end. At the end of this section, the passage angles to the right (northwest) into an inner cavern. The ceiling lowers briefly to below c.1.5m, but once through rises again to c.2.0-3.0m, opening out into a chamber of c.10x10m. About c.6.0m in, a muddy slope begins to rise steeply from the floor to the ceiling, curtailing access.
Even in the rear cavern, c.30m from the entrance, the cave floor is covered in objects similar to those which would be expected on a beach; parts of fishing nets, plastic rubbish, broken wooden planks, and a large number of small stones. There are also soil deposits of unknown depth throughout, although the edges near the walls are generally bedrock, suggesting the soil in the centre is unlikely to be deep. The floor level is fairly constant throughout. Water seeps down through the rock from above, particularly visible in the c.10m closest to the entrance, and a pool of water up to c.0.1m deep has accumulated in the centre of the first section. There are also slimy mineral residues on the cave walls in this area.
No evidence or reference to human occupation has been found, although the size of the cave makes it a likely site for some form of activity. The cave has been surveyed by a caving club, the Grampian Speleological Group, who published a brief report on it in their bulletin of March, 2006, including a plan of the cave produced in 1966. [See pp. 52-54, http://www.gsg.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded-documents/Bull425%20Mar06.pdf]
Archaeological survey to investigate possibility of human activity, perhaps with particular focus on eroding edge of soil floor to determine level of urgency.
Comments
The site is off the current Fife Coastal Path and cannot be accessed at high tide. It is likely to be locally known but not commonly visited, and missed by most who visit the area from outside. A footpath crosses the bridge over the canyon in front, and close to this it is possible to access the beach, from which the cave can be reached. It is not entirely easy to access the cave, as the rocks on the beach are slippery, and there is a steep mud bank to climb at the entrance where hands are needed to pull yourself up. It is not accessible to all.
The floor of the cave is bare natural rock in parts, especially at the outside edges, but the middle of the passageway through the cavern (even in the furthest section) is mostly covered in soil of unknown origin, depth, and age. There was a fresh-looking squarish and slightly D-shaped hole made in the soil near the centre of the longer section, revealing pebbly, sandy soil of at least c.0.10m depth (purpose of this cut unknown, possibly removed buried object or an auger). The soil appears to be eroding away at the HWM which is currently just in front of the cave mouth. It is possible that archaeology is buried within the soil, and may therefore be at risk of being lost to erosion by the sea, although I cannot say how rapidly the erosion is advancing.
There is a long pool of water beginning c.3.0m from the cave mouth, where a larger amount of water could be seen dripping down from (and through) the rock above. Whether some of this water is seawater from waves is unknown. This pool was also marked in a plan of the cave made in 1966 (see reference in site description), in much the same location.
There are objects deposited throughout the entire cave, almost to the furthest regions from the opening. The wet or at least damp conditions mean metallic objects are highly corroded. Nothing could be identified as anything other than modern rubbish unassociated with the site, although a proper survey was not possible with the inadequate light provided by a small torch and a phone's focus-assist light. It appears that these items are deposited from the sea, although I do not know what process could be carrying objects over 30m past apparent normal HWM to the back of the cave. There are also water-smoothed rocks present throughout.
Although no archaeology could be identified, the cave is worthy of further investigation as its size and location means it would likely have attracted human activity and possibly occupation. No reference to any substantiated historical or archaeological research connected to this site has been found online. The speleological newsletter article referenced in the site description refers to another author's (p. 53) claim that mining was carried out here, although the author of this article could see no confirmation of this. I also saw no section of cave wall that looked anything other than natural to me.
