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Right is a view of the car park at
Bennane Head 8 miles south of Girvan, two
miles north of Ballantrae.
This is the area where the tale of
Sawney Bean the cannibal evolved. About
150 feet below the car park is a cave
that is thought to run almost one mile
into the hillside. Sawney Bean was born
near Edinburgh, the son of a hedger and
ditcher.
Map.
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The young Sawney and his girlfriend
set up home in this cave after running
off from Edinburgh in search of an easier
life. They soon began robbing passers by
to fund their new life of leisure. The
easiest way to rob someone traveling
along the trail that ran above the cave
was to throw them over the cliffs. This
soon led to Sawney and his wife realizing
the mangled bodies were a good source of
food. Left, this seems to be the best way
down to the cave.
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Right is a look over the edge to see
just how far down it really is. Sawney
and his wife prospered in this new life
killing hundreds of passers by over the
following two decades. Their family,
through incest, grew to 8 sons, 6
daughters, 18 grandsons and 14
granddaughters. The ever-increasing
amount of people disappearing around the
area led to many a search but nothing
could ever be found.
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It is not surprising as the photo left
shows the entrance to the cave is a
narrow slit in the rock face. The cave is
even harder to locate during a high tide
as the sea cuts off any access from the
beach. The Bean’s were finally
captured after botching a robbery. They
attacked a husband and wife traveling
along the coast on horseback, cutting the
woman's throat. Her husband lived to tell
the tale as he managed to fight off the
hoard of cannibals.
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The story of his escape soon led to an
army being sent to carry out another
search of the coastline. After
bloodhounds used in that search found the
cave, a gruesome sight met the soldiers
that entered. Limbs were hanging on hooks
being dried whilst other body parts were
being pickled. The Bean family were soon
rounded up and taken to Edinburgh where
they were thrown in the Tolbooth.
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With their crimes being so heinous and
the evidence overwhelming, they were
refused the right of a trial. The
following morning at Leith, the men were
executed by having their limbs cut off so
they would bleed to death. The women were
supposedly treated with a little more
respect as they were burned to death.
Left is a close-up of the cave entrance
showing just how well hidden it really
is.
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It is unclear if the tale of Sawney
Bean is truth or fiction. There is no
written evidence to support his
family’s capture or executions.
Facts that give the tale credibility
‘are’ cannibals did exist in
Scotland around that time; also, one of
the caves between Girvan and Ballantrae
was still being inhabited until the
1970s. The last resident ‘Snib
Scott’ a vagrant with a long grey
beard, was often referred to as Sawney
Bean. The truth will only be known after
an extensive excavation of the cave is
made. Is there anyone out there
interested? Before visiting the cave, you
should check times of the tide and make
sure your phone is fully charged. Also,
anyone not 100% fit should think twice
before attempting the steep decent and
climb back up.
For a video tour of the cave and for
discusions on the facts, visit YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2LlmED9feQ&feature=related
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