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This view is of the Car Park
at Bennane Head 8 miles south of
Girvan, two miles north of
Ballantrae, right next to the
main A77 road.
This is the area where the
tale of Sawney Bean the cannibal
evolved. 15
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About 150 feet below the car park is a
cave that runs about 50 yards into the
hillside. Sawney Bean was born near
Edinburgh, the son of a hedger and
ditcher. Postcode / Map Link: KA26
0JJ.
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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.
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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. The best way down is from the north
side of the car park following a winding
path.
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Right is a look over the edge
of the steep route down from the
south side of the car park.
Sawney and his wife prospered in
this new life killing hundreds of
passers by over the following two
decades.
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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 this
photo 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.
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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.
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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.
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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. This image 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.
Before visiting the cave, you should
check times of the tide as a high tide
may block the entrance, make sure your
phone is fully charged, and have 2
torches as is real dark in the cave.
Also, anyone not 100% fit should think
twice before attempting the steep decent
and climb back up.
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