I had decided to look for the lost cave of Knockbrex, not at the current shoreline but at the back of the ancient shoreline of the raised beach. I found the cave almost straight away, though I had passed this spot many times before. Ivy draped itself over the rocks round the cave. An ancient bough, above the mouth, had recently broken thus possibly exposing the cave for the first time in many years.
Inside it was one of the driest caves I have ever been in, the floor was so perfectly level, I suspect it had been made by the hand of man. The beaches in these parts were frequented by the Solway smugglers and almost certainly this one would have been piled high with casks of claret and rolls of tobacco from the Isle of Man. There were even flat rocky ledges to store a bottle or two! It may well be that the covering ivy had been "planted" by the smugglers for the purposes of concealment.
I paddled home with a sense of satisfaction that my short 9km pasddle had solved a long standing mystery. I think Lucy Walford would have written another novel about it.
09/06/2009
congrats on finding the cave, doug.
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sorry to disapoint you but it hasn't been hidden for years... I have ben visiting that cave for at least 10 years now. I used to live in a cottage over the hill and that was the beach I walked my dog to every day
ReplyDeleteHello Emma, thanks for dropping by. You must have much sharper eyes than I! I have lived in the area for 45 years and did not find it until this spring! I remember in 1969 searching for it with about 20 other Scouts. Our Scout leader said he remembered the cave from his boyhood in the 1930's. Though we passed the spot many times then (and since) we did not discover it.
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I used to picnic on the old boat launch next to the cave with my sisters and watch the seal swimming :)
ReplyDeleteIf you climb up the side of the cave you will find a hole- the chimney for the wee fire place!
I loved exploring all the ruins further round the path when I was a teenager.
Hello Emma it is good to hear from you again, it is a fantastic place for a holiday! Since the salmon fisherman in Fleet Bay retired, I have seen more seals, I wonder why?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about the chimney, I will look out for it.
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Hi, iv been going up to that are for 25years now, my perants have a caravan on mossyard. My grandad told me a story about knockbrex few years telling me how that the place should be his but because hes mother re-married and had the name changed hes lost family titles. We dont know if it is true or just an old man spinning a yarn. But I was up there yesterday and thought I would walk along and see if I could find this cave, but I didnt find it. Is it over on 1 of the islands or on the main land?
ReplyDeleteHello Mark, the cave is here: click link. Hope you find it on your next visit.
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