Balcreuchan Port facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Balcreuchan Port |
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| Ballantrae, Scotland GB |
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Balcreuchan Port and Cave
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 Balcreuchan Port
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| Coordinates | 55°08′44″N 4°59′04″W / 55.145565°N 4.9845220°W |
Balcreuchan Port or Balcruachan Port (NX0908878) is a small bay and old beach area in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is near Colmonell and Bennane Head. This spot is famous for its cave (NX099876). The cave has links to the old legend of Sawney Bean. The bay is also known for its interesting rocks. It was once a small fishing harbour until the late 1800s.
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What is Balcreuchan Port?
The name 'Port' tells us it was used for boats. 'Balcreuchan' comes from a Gaelic word. 'Bal' means a farmstead. There is a farm with this name close to the port. The 'creuchan' part might mean 'borders'. The Balcreuchan Burn is a stream that flows into the sea here.
This area was once very remote. It was known for secret activities in the past. Balcreuchan Port was sometimes used for these activities because of its hidden cave.
A famous minister named Alexander Peden was captured nearby. He was a Covenanter, a group of Scottish Presbyterians. He was sent to jail on the Bass Rock. Later, he returned to Scotland. He may have landed at Balcreuchan Bay. This bay is a secluded spot between Ballantrae and Lendalfoot. It has a shingle beach.
The Old Harbour
Balcreuchan Port was described as a "Small Creek." It had a flat beach made of small stones and boulders. Boats were pulled up onto the beach here. They were kept safe during the summer months. Another nearby spot, Port Vad, was more open to strong winds and waves.
Old maps show that a channel in the bay was cleared of stones. This made it easier for boats to land safely. You can still see parts of this cleared channel when the tide is low. No other man-made features for the port have been found.
The Mysterious Cave
Two caves are linked to the legend of Sawney Bean. Balcreuchan Cave is one of them. The other is Bennane Cave, a short distance away. Sometimes, people use the name Bennane Cave, but they are actually talking about Balcreuchan Cave.
In the 1970s, Balcreuchan Cave became famous because of the Sawney Bean legend. A safe path was made to reach the cave. Soon after, the cave was marked on Ordnance Survey maps.
Records from 1912 show that travelers and gypsies used Balcreuchan Cave. They would stay there overnight.
The cave itself is quite damp. It goes back about seventy feet. You get to it through a rocky gully. This gully gets flooded when the tide is high. People used to say the cave went for a mile or more into the headland.
The Old Enclosure
The first OS map shows a walled area near the bay. It was about one-third of an acre in size. This area was on the east side of the bay. It was sheltered by a headland. It was also well above the high tide mark.
This enclosure had four or more smaller sections inside. Small buildings were shown in this area. They might have been huts for fishermen. A track led from the enclosure entrance. It went along the old beach area. Then it went up the slope to the top of the cliffs. This track passed over the cave. An area for storing animal feed was also marked on the map. It was near where the Balcreuchan Burn meets the sea.
After the first OS map, the enclosure and track were shown less clearly. Eventually, the site was not marked at all. This enclosure might have been a summer home for fishermen. They would have had huts or sheds there. This is similar to the old Carleton Fishery nearby. That fishery also had a cleared channel on its beach.
Balcreuchan Port Today
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Today, the old walls of the enclosure are hard to see. They are hidden by thick plants. The track that went up the cliff is also gone. However, you can still see the cleared channel in the bay at low tide.
Getting into the cave is now harder. A large boulder has fallen, and you have to climb over it. There is also a lot of graffiti on the cave walls.
In 1978, the local council opened a safe path to the cave. They promoted its links to the Sawney Bean legend. But now, the port does not have a maintained path. If you visit, you need strong hiking shoes and must be very careful.
Nature at Balcreuchan Port
A rare tree for Scotland grows on the headland above the old enclosure. It is called the aspen (Populus tremula). A group of these aspen trees grows along the top of the ridge. Part of the bay is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it is protected for its special natural features.
Amazing Geology
The rocks here are very old. They are part of an ancient ocean floor, about 500 million years old. This is a rare rock formation. It happened because a piece of the ocean floor was pushed onto the land.
In the bay, you can see different types of rocks. These range from rocks that were deep inside the Earth to rocks from the ocean floor. You can even see rocks from the upper mantle of the Earth. These are called serpentinite rocks. They were once more than 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) below the seabed.
A major crack in the Earth's crust, called a fault, separates these rocks. This fault runs in front of Balcreuchan Cave. The cave itself is formed in basalt rock. Closer to the shore, a strong igneous dyke cuts through the softer serpentinite rock.
