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Head for Cockburnspath and at
the main A1 roundabout, take the east road to the coast and the
tiny hamlet of Cove. There's a car park and an information point
opposite. The first cottages ever built surround the car park with
more cottages added westwards at a later date. Take the wooden steps
that lead to a track descending towards sea level and you will find
Cove Harbour, one of the hidden treasures of south east Scotland.
Alternatively, walk past the steps and on past a picturesque row of
cottages on your right and take a delightful walk along the cliff
tops with stunning views of Cove from above.
| Cove was used as a natural
harbour in the early 1600's and it wasn't until the 1700's that
attempts were made to improve the harbour and create an access road.
A tunnel and several side chambers were also built and were used
to store fresh salmon and herring as well as cured and barrelled
white fish.
These caves and some of the natural caves (visible at
low tide) would no doubt have been used to store smuggled goods from
abroad.
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| The present harbour was eventually completed in 1831.
Bathers made use of the side chambers for changing up until 1981
when the side chambers were sealed up. |
Only the main
tunnel remains open and leads from the track down to Cove,
then opens up with a superb view of the Harbour as seen in the
panoramic photograph at the top of the page. |
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Further up
the coast, Torness Nuclear Power Station is an obvious
landmark and to the east, you can make out the ruins of Fast
castle.
The two pier cottages on the left of
the photograph were built early 1800's and were occupied until
1946 when taken over by local fishermen and used for storage. |
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Cove
harbour from the cliff top walk.
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| An old curing
station tucked into the cliffs once employed over 50 men and
women to bait lines, smoke fish, and make cod liver oil.
In 1794 there were 16 Cove fishermen
but after the new harbour was completed, recorded in 1920
there were over 20 families living in the cottages at Cove.
They were employed in farming or fishing, two of the main
industries in the area.
Nothing much has changed in Cove in
terms of appearance and the cottages are pretty much as they
were years ago. Frequented by 'The
Glasgow Boys' in the late 1800's, and in recent years,
Cove harbour has been popular for film locations including
'Mrs Brown' featuring Billy Connolly and Judi Dench. |
Pier Cottages. The
nearest cottage has a cellar which may have been used for
salt-panning.
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A view
looking out from Tod's Hole, a natural cave 20 meters deep.
This cave can
only be accessed at low tide.
In this photograph, Hollow Rock is just out of
sight to the left of the cave. Long Rock is just off to the right.
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The
textures and colours of the rocks in this area make for a neat
rock tower.
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Architectural And Historical
Interest
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| Hollow
Rock |
Long
Rock or Cathedral Rock |
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harbour, pier and breakwater; pier cottages and stores; and
tunnel entrance are al listed as structures of architectural
and historic interest.
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Located on the East Lothian coast, 5
miles (8 km) south east of Dunbar, Torness churns out over
1300 megawatts of electricity from two advanced
Gas-Cooled Reactors (AGRs).
Building of the Nuclear Power
Station
started in 1980, and it was commissioned in 1988. |
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| Cove
harbour is also of great importance for geology described as
carboniferous strata.
The
photograph on the right is taken from Cathedral Rock and
the straight lines of vertical rocks can be seen
breaking the surface of the sea and continuing up into
the landscape.
The
entrance to Tod's Hole is visible just to the left of
Hollow Rock. Look for a dark triangular shape at the
base of the rocky hillside.
Close to Cove, Lidsters bay is a Site of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the area is renowned
for its geology, with the carboniferous rock strata containing
some of the oldest reserves of fossilised flowers in the
World. |
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Long
Rock or Cathedral Rock as it is also known, is an
impressive structure when viewed from sea level at the
base of Hollow Rock.
This digital image has
been desaturated and selective burning and dodging
applied in Photoshop to give it more of a pictorial
style.
Its possible to climb
up to this stretch of rock and be rewarded with a great
view of the East Coast.
Looking northwards
from this point, Torness can be seen in the distance
with its white painted walls highlighted against the
blue sky and sea. |
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Long
Rock or Cathedral Rock as it is also known, is an
impressive structure when viewed from sea level at the
base of Hollow Rock. |
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A
view along the pier, Torness in the distance top right |
A
rusty old chain indicates a once busy harbour. |
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Received in my mail box: digest at will.
From : Ben Tindall <ben@hermitsandtermits.co.uk>
Sent : 01 April 2006 14:37:09
To : <photos@a2jlp.co.uk>
Subject : Mail from gallery site _ Cove Habour
Dear Sir,
I am the owner of Cove Harbour, and recently saw your photos of
Cove. I would have rather that you had got in touch before
publishing them. Cove is managed to keep it free from development
and survives on its film and photographic rights.
Of course, photos from the rights of way are fine, but others
should only be done with agreement from the land manager. It this
regard it is important to minimise pressure on the place and this
can be done by:
not mentioning films made there
not explaining exactly where it is
explaining that the place is privately managed.
making a financial contribution to the place's upkeep if any
serious money is being made out of it special qualities.
I would be very grateful if you could modify your content
accordingly?
Many thanks
Ben Tindall
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