"My mammy bid me gan to bed,
My daddy he said, No,’
My
mammy said, if I wad na gan,
She would fetch the Boggle-Bo"
Boggle Hole is a cave in the cliffs at Robin Hood's Bay, 5 miles to the
south of Whitby. The cave has given its name to a YHA youth hostel, which was
originally a water mill located in a narrow stream gully running down into the
bay. Although the location is somewhat isolated, it is on a scenic and popular
stretch of the coastline.
The Boggle Hole cave itself is located in the cliffs immediately alongside the gully, on its south side. In the past the cave appears to have been larger, but at some point much of the roof has collapsed, leaving an open cleft running back into the cliff. The constant action of the tides, and winter storms are the likely cause of the collapse, undercutting the cave sides until they could not support the roof. In its original state the cave would have been similar to the Rev. Young's description of the Hob Hole cave at Runswick bay, further up the coast. (see Hob Hole post).