The description of the fairies is given in the Wikipedia articles on Cleeves Cove and Bessie Dunlop, citing John Service's Memorables of Robin Cummell (1913). Wikipedia notes that it is not known how old the elfhame tradition is, that the caves were lived in by people, and that they were used by Covenanters hiding from the king's troops. It also says Bessie Dunlop's spirit guide Thom Reid, as barony officer of the Blair, would have known the caves. The Wikipedia article on Dalry describes the cave at Auchinskich as the 'Elf House', with a large chamber near its middle.
Folklore & legend
The Elf House of Cleeves Cove
Cleeves Cove, Dusk Water, near Dalry
Tradition recorded 1913
A cave system reached by a path from the Dusk Water; the cave is dark and the ground can be slippery.
- Evidence
- Long-standing local tradition
- Access
- Open ground
- Location
- 55.692, -4.677 (Parish-level only, treat as an area)
Sources: Wikipedia, "Cleeves Cove" [other]; Wikipedia, "Bessie Dunlop" [other]; Wikipedia, "Dalry, North Ayrshire" [other]
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