A small cave formed in a red sandstone of a cliff on the Cove Estate in Kirkpatrick Flemming, is said to be the place where Robert the Bruce went into hiding on 1306.

A wooden walkway provides access to the cave

Following defeat in the winter of 1306, King Robert the Bruce of Scotland went into hiding in a cave, to avoid capture by Edward I (Longshanks) of England.

Bruce and the Spider

It is said that Bruce spent three months living a solitary existence in this tiny cave and during this time, it is here that legend tells of  Bruce, watching  a spider toiling to build it’s web.

The spider would make many attempts to spin his fine threads and even when it fell, it climbed up again and carried on relentlessly until the web was spun.

Robert the Bruce, at an incredibly low point in his life, took inspiration from this little spider, encouraging him to try again.  He raised an army and went on to win the famous battle of Bannockburn in 1314, after which, he finally established his claim to the Scottish throne and thus the beginning of freedom from English rule.

The event is thought to have given rise to the saying ;”If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again.

Gretna Cave

Small brown signs indicate the route through Kirkpatrick Flemming, just outside Gretna Green, to Bruce’s Cave.  The route proceeds into a caravan park where hand painted signs indicate a road to the left, past some old farm implements and to a parking area in front of  the estate house.

At a building to the left of the house, tickets can be obtained ( £1 each), to view the cave.  The walk proceeds down a very pleasant path surrounded by woodland, towards Kirtle River.  Continuing down a concrete stepped hill for a few hundred meters, the path turns through a gate and onto a wooden walk way which leads to the cave entrance.

Carved out of the red sandstone cliff, about 30 feet above the river, Kirtle Water, the cave is about 12 feet in diameter and only about 7 feet at it’s highest point.

Numerous carvings and graffitti mark visits over the years, some dated around the late 1800′s.

Although access today is by a pathway provided by the local council in 1929, previous visitors had to be lowered on a rope over the overhang, from which they would swing into the cave. Needless to say, this resulted in many accidents.

A stone inset above the cave entrance bears the following inscription;

“Within this cave King Robert the Bruce
from Foes pursuant sought a truce
like my forbears who for him fell
I Irving G and do guard it well”

Bruce’s caves

Various sites lay claim to having the cave in which Robert the Bruce hid from his foes.

Robert the Bruces’ land at Gretna was the first settlement on the Scottish side of the Solway and formed part of  Bruce’s lands in Annandale.  This cave is thought to be the likely place, as some versions of the legends talk of a local, Sir William Irving, who was hiding Robert the Bruce for three months in his secret cave.

However, the actual cave remains a mystery a mystery.  The cave at Cove Estate in Kirkpatrick Flemming is probably the strongest contender after the Irish cave on Rathlin Island, which is the one favoured by the Bruce family to this day, due to the fact that in the 14th century, the area on Rathlin Island was owned by Bruce’s Irish mother.  There is also a castle on Rathlin called Bruce’s castle which gives further credibility to the claim.

Other Scottish caves laying claim to the legend are;  Drumadoon  at Blackwaterfoot on the Isle of Arran and Craigruie near Stirling.

More Information

Bruce’s Cave - Official website of the Kirkpatrick Flemming cave.

The Bruce Trust – The Robert the Bruce Commemoration Trust’s long term aim is an innovative, living history visitor centre in Dumfriesshire dedicated to Scotland’s hero king.

Bruce Rathlin 700 – More information about how Rathlin Island features in Robert the Bruce’s story.

Commanding an impressive view over the Eden Valley, stand the remains of Pendragon castle, thought to be constructed during the reign of William II in the twelfth century by Ranulph de Meschines, Although the the keep dates to Norman times, the Garderobe Turret (toilet) dates from the fourteenth century.

Pendragon Castle Viewed from the Road

Legend suggests that a much earlier Pendragon Castle on this site belonged to Uther Pendragon, father of  the legendary King Arthur. According to the legend, Uther had attempted to re-route the River Eden to create a moat for the castle.

An ancient rhyming couplet reads;

“Let Uther Pendragon do what he can, Eden will run where Eden ran.”

Other stories tell of tragedy, when Saxon invaders poisoned the well, leading to the death of Uther Pendragon and a hundred of his men.

No archealogical evidence has been found to suggest Dark Age settlement, although a couple of Roman coins have been discovered on the site.

Doorway to Pendragon Castle

The castle is now a ruin with evidence of the spiral staircase to the left of the doorway and other rooms off to the right.  Most of the first floor has collapsed showing only traces of where the floor would have been with a few windows and doorways.  The 14th century garderobe still stands.

Over it’s lifetime, the Castle has had many famous and infamous owners, one being Hugh de Morville, a knight responsible for the murder of St. Thomas A’Beckett at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

Robert de Veteripont became the next owner and then Lady Ideona de Veteripont who also founded the nearby church of St. Mary at Outhgill. A later inheritance saw the castle passed on to Robert de Leyburn before becoming the property of  the wealthy Robert de Clifford, who acquired a licence to the crenalate the castle in 1309. When he was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 the castle passed to his son, Roger.

One of the small archways

In 1341 the castle was destroyed by a raiding Scottish army but was rebuilt in 1360. Disaster struck again in 1541, when fire left Pendragon castle in ruins.  It was not until the mid seventeenth century that the castle was restored to it’s former glory by Lady Anne Clifford. Following Lady Anne’s death in 1676, the Earl of Thanet, removed anything of value, including the lead from the roof and again left the castle to the ravages of nature.

The first floor had virtually collapsed by the 18th Century

Some recent work has been carried out to prop up some of the structure and to install a set of wooden steps to lead to what is left of the first level.

If you visit this site, please be aware that it is on private land and that animals are grazing around the castle.

OS Grid Ref:- NY 782025