23 September 2009: Cove Harbour

Surrounded by high cliffs, the tidal inlet now occupied by Cove Harbour has a history as a seaport dating back to the beginning of the seventeenth century.

In the 1750s, and again in the 1820s, attempts were made to build a harbour, but in each case the works were wrecked by storms before completion. The existing works, which were finished in 1831, consist of two sandstone piers, a northern one extending from the end of a cliff-bound bluff and a southern one running northwards from the southern arc of the bay.  At high tide, the only access to the harbour is by a 56m-long tunnel through the cliffs.  Elaborate cave systems in the surrounding rocks, both natural and man-made, are rumored to have been used for smuggling, a practice which was rife along this coast in the eighteenth century.

This image of Cove Harbour is just one of millions from Scotland’s National Collection of Aerial Photography. It will be on display as part of a showcase of the Collection held at RCAHMS on 26 September for Edinburgh’s Doors Open Day.