Holy Cave

The Holy Cave at Hunterston stands in Hawking Craig Wood, part of the red sandstone cliffs between Brigurd Point and Portencross in North Ayrshire. The main cave lies about 300 yards from the cliff’s northern end, now raised ten feet above an old beach level. A smaller rock shelter called Smith’s Cave lies a short distance to the south. Excavations show the main cave was occupied in three distinct periods over many centuries. Finds include bones of deer, cat, pig, horse, sheep, goat, ox and rabbit, alongside bone, flint and slate objects. Pottery fragments resemble Scottish medieval wares, some with green-brown glazes. The cave links to Saint Mungo, also known as St Kentigern, and a nearby spring called the Wishing Well. The well’s name may come from the Saxon for ‘wise man or instructor’s well’. On the first Sunday in May, people once collected water believed to have healing powers. The minister sometimes baptised children there using the holy water. Visitors still leave coins and other small offerings, continuing an old tradition of making wishes. To reach the cave, walk into Hawking Craig Wood near the ‘Three Sisters’ cliffs and follow the base of the escarpment. The cave entrance is small—six feet high, wide and long—but its history is large. Nearby, the Hunterston Brooch was found in 1826, and local legend speaks of three witches whose storm helped defeat King Haco’s fleet. Viking graves once stood on the raised beach, and the cliffs bear the name Hawking Craig from medieval falconry. The soft sandstone shows signs of wave scouring and human use, though few carvings remain.