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Does this Caithness cave contain remains of ancient giant tree?





The fossilised remains of an ancient giant tree may have been identified inside a cave along the Caithness coast.

Local photographer Fergus Mather has been revisiting some of the geological features in the county with his brother Arthur, a former geologist.

Skipper Willie Munro on the Geo Explorer trip to the Cathedral Cave south of Wick. Picture: Fergus Mather
Skipper Willie Munro on the Geo Explorer trip to the Cathedral Cave south of Wick. Picture: Fergus Mather

During a sea trip on the Geo Explorer down the dramatic coastline between Wick and Whaligoe with skipper William Munro, Fergus photographed the interior of a cave christened by kayakers as Caithness Cathedral Cave.

Situated between Ashy Geo and Ires Geo, it features an unusual arch-like structure forming an entrance into an inner sanctum. Overhead is an open circular feature of harder rock standing out above a silvery white semi-circular formation supported by two pillars curving downwards.

This led to Midlothian-based former geologist Arthur Mather to provisionally identify the feature as fossil remains of a giant fungal tree from the Devonian period, around 400 million years ago, a time when land plants were developing rapidly.

The cave is situated between Ires Geo and Ashly Geo. ©Crown copyright 2025 Ordnance Survey. Media 017/25.
The cave is situated between Ires Geo and Ashly Geo. ©Crown copyright 2025 Ordnance Survey. Media 017/25.

One of the dominant species was Prototaxites, which had a stem with a hard exterior and softer centre. Arthur sees the top circular structure as a cross-section of the trunk, having broken from its stump underneath, with the roots penetrating through layers of sediment below.

There is some evidence for a landslip around where the trunk would have landed.

The observation has been recorded in The Edinburgh Geologist, the magazine of the Edinburgh Geological Society, where it is noted under a new feature as a significant “geological curiosity” with requests for further comments.

Photographer Fergus Mather in the Johnston studio. Picture: Alan Hendry
Photographer Fergus Mather in the Johnston studio. Picture: Alan Hendry

Fergus added that it is hoped that closer study and possibly accessing further into the cave can throw more light on this exciting discovery.


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