Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (S.W.A.C.S.)

23/05/2026

📣 We have some exciting news to share!

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded us a grant to help us celebrate our 40th anniversary!

This incredible support, alongside a grant from the University of St Andrews Community Fund and all of our amazing supporters donating to our crowdfunding campaign, means we can mark our 40th anniversary with a fantastic programme of community events throughout the year, celebrating four decades of protecting one of Scotland's most remarkable ancient sites.

Here's what's coming up:

🎉Saturday June 20th
A Free Community Festival at the caves. Be part of a medieval lord's court, step into the Pictish craft village, experience storytelling, or unleash your inner Celt by having your face painted.

🪏 Saturday August 1st
A Garden Crafts day in our newly landscaped garden, including a willow weaving workshop.

🧑‍🏫 Saturday November 21st
A one-day conference with the latest on the archaeology and historical context of the Wemyss Caves.

And all summer, out museum display tells the story of 40 remarkable years. Well worth a visit!

Full details at wemysscaves.org

06/05/2026

Did you know that part of the story of the Wemyss Caves isn’t just ancient but industrial too?

There’s been lots of interest in one of the pictures from over our archaeology weekend regarding gaspipes running through the passage in Court Cave. This video helps bring that story to life, exploring the East Wemyss and Buckhaven Gasworks and how 19th century industry reshaped the coastline and even altered the caves themselves. This video includes a reconstruction of how the site looked when it was in active use!

During the construction of the gasworks, sections of cave were cut into and new features exposed, linking this incredible site to Scotland’s industrial past as well as its much older heritage.

👉 Watch the video and explore how the landscape has changed over time:
https://wemysscaves.org/archaeology-and-history/east-wemyss-and-buckhaven-gasworks/

04/05/2026

🔍 Discover what’s been uncovered!

Our volunteers and students have been hard at work over the weekend, carefully uncovering more of the caves’ hidden past 👀

If you’re out enjoying the Bank Holiday Monday sun, why not take a walk down to the caves and see what’s been uncovered and theories behind them?

📍 Court Cave & Doo Cave
⏰ We’re here until 3pm

Come along, have a chat with the team, and get a closer look at the archaeology in action!

30/04/2026

🔍 Something exciting is happening at the caves this weekend!

We’ll be carrying out small archaeological excavations, revisiting areas we last explored back in 2019 (with permission from Historic Environment Scotland).

📍 You’ll find us at Court Cave and Doo Cave – so why not pop along and see what we’re uncovering?

🗓 Friday, Saturday & Monday
⏰ 11am – 3pm

Our team will be on hand to chat, share what we’re working on, and talk about past discoveries at the site. Guided tours of the excavations will be running throughout the day – just drop in anytime!

Come along, have a look, and discover a bit of history in the making 👀

23/04/2026

Not got anything planned for this Sunday? 👀

Why not come along and explore the incredible Wemyss Caves with our fantastic tour guides!

Step back in time, discover the mystery of the ancient carvings, and hear the stories that make this place so special. Whether you’ve never been before or fancy seeing it in a whole new way, there’s something for everyone.

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out, bring your friends, your family, or just yourself for a brilliant day out!

Find out more and book your place: https://wemysscaves.org/visiting-and-tours/

21/04/2026

✨ We are honestly blown away ✨

It’s only been 24 hours since we shared our 40th anniversary crowdfunder and we are already so close to hitting our goal!!

The generosity, the shares and the support from the community genuinely means the world to us. What started 40 years ago as a small group of people stepping up to protect something special is still powered by community today and you are all part of that ❤️

We’re nearly there now… do you think we can hit the goal today? 👀

If you’ve been meaning to donate or share, now is the moment let’s get this over the line together 💪

👉 https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/swacs40

Thank you so much for everything so far 🌱

✨ Help Us Celebrate 40 Years of Heritage ✨
Back in 1986, a stolen car was driven into Jonathan’s Cave and set on fire, destroying a panel of Pictish carvings.

Out of that, a group of local people basically said, if nobody else is going to step up for this place, we will 💪

40 years later, that’s grown into something we’re really proud of ❤️

🎉 For our 40th anniversary, we’re planning a mix of events:
• A FREE community festival with Pictish crafts, a medieval court and ancient music (Sat 20th June)
• A FREE conference sharing what we’ve learned over the years (Sat 21st November)
• An archaeology week digging into parts of the site we don’t fully understand yet
• A museum exhibition looking back on our first 40 years
• Hands-on stuff like willow weaving in the history garden (Sat August 1st)

We'll let you know full details of each activity soon.

🌱 It’s all about celebrating the site, getting people involved, and making sure it’s still here for the future.

💛 We are applying for funding, but we still need a bit of help through donations and crowdfunding to make it all happen.

Anything you can give genuinely makes a difference, and anything extra will go straight back into the site.

👉 If you can donate, we’d really appreciate it. https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/swacs40

20/04/2026

✨ Help Us Celebrate 40 Years of Heritage ✨
Back in 1986, a stolen car was driven into Jonathan’s Cave and set on fire, destroying a panel of Pictish carvings.

Out of that, a group of local people basically said, if nobody else is going to step up for this place, we will 💪

40 years later, that’s grown into something we’re really proud of ❤️

🎉 For our 40th anniversary, we’re planning a mix of events:
• A FREE community festival with Pictish crafts, a medieval court and ancient music (Sat 20th June)
• A FREE conference sharing what we’ve learned over the years (Sat 21st November)
• An archaeology week digging into parts of the site we don’t fully understand yet
• A museum exhibition looking back on our first 40 years
• Hands-on stuff like willow weaving in the history garden (Sat August 1st)

We'll let you know full details of each activity soon.

🌱 It’s all about celebrating the site, getting people involved, and making sure it’s still here for the future.

💛 We are applying for funding, but we still need a bit of help through donations and crowdfunding to make it all happen.

Anything you can give genuinely makes a difference, and anything extra will go straight back into the site.

👉 If you can donate, we’d really appreciate it. https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/swacs40

12/04/2026

Unfortunately, our visitor centre will only be open today before and after tours.

We’re unable to keep the museum open while tours are out and we really appreciate your understanding.

Fancy getting involved? We’re always on the lookout for new volunteers to support the caves 🙌 Drop us a message to find out more 💬✨

11/04/2026

Don’t have time for the full tour? We’ve got you covered!

Our shorter tours of the Wemyss Caves are still available tomorrow – perfect if you’re looking for a quick but unforgettable glimpse into Scotland’s incredible history.

Join our fantastic volunteer guides as they bring the caves and their stories to life in a more bite-sized experience.

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss your chance to explore one of Fife’s hidden gems ✨

You can get tickets here 👉🏻https://www.tickettailor.com/events/savewemyssancientcavessociety?fbclid=IwY2xjawRHb9NleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81MTQ3NzE1NjkyMjgwNjEAAR4kKj0UxvWW0LPhrP9ue6TQQjjzAaOfI16nmHdtJS4k7D7lTw7Y31Vom-9pWg_aem_yWvfRAxg1Rug1821kmhnFg

16/03/2026

Great news for anyone who loves local history and exploring the Fife coastline. Tours of the Wemyss Caves will be starting up again 5 April.

The tours are run by our fantastic team of volunteer guides who do an incredible job bringing the stories, carvings and history of the caves to life. If you’ve never been before, it’s a brilliant way to discover one of Fife’s most unique historic sites. And if you’re lucky, you might even have a furry friend helping lead the way.

If you’d like to come along and support the work of the Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society, you can book tickets here 👉https://www.tickettailor.com/events/savewemyssancientcavessociety

Whether you’re a local or just visiting the area, it’s well worth a trip along the coast to see these incredible caves for yourself.