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Cave or grotto

St Ninian's Cave

Physgill, near Whithorn

A saint's retreat where pilgrims carved crosses.

St Ninian brought Christianity to southern Scotland around 400 and is said to have prayed in this sea cave. Pilgrims have visited for centuries, carving crosses into the rock, and still leave little crosses of driftwood.

Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.

When
From about 700
Where
54.6940, -4.4310
Group
Caves & grottoes

Visiting

A woodland and beach walk from the car park at Kidsdale.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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