Dura Den
Encyclopedia
Dura Den is a small, 3 km-long wooded picturesque
gorge that is located near Cupar
in northeastern Fife, Scotland. This narrow cleft follows a course between the villages of Kemback
to the north and Pitscottie to the south. A small stream named the Ceres (or Kame) Burn follows the course of this gorge, and this flow includes small waterfalls near the mid-point. Historically the Ceres Burn was used to power jute
spinning mills
Around 1859 the geologist and Newburgh
minister
John Anderson discovered what turned out to be extensive sandstone
deposits of ganoid fossil
ized fish
in this area.
The Dura Den Wood is being managed by the Woodland Trust
, and occupies an area of 4.25 acres (17,199.2 m²). The woods include ash
, oak
, and hazel
.
gorge that is located near Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
in northeastern Fife, Scotland. This narrow cleft follows a course between the villages of Kemback
Kemback
Kemback is a village in Fife, Scotland, located east of Cupar. The present village was developed in the 19th century to house those working the flax mills on the nearby Ceres Burn. From 1681 the minister for the parish was Alexander Edward, until 1689 when he was deprived as a non-juror...
to the north and Pitscottie to the south. A small stream named the Ceres (or Kame) Burn follows the course of this gorge, and this flow includes small waterfalls near the mid-point. Historically the Ceres Burn was used to power jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
spinning mills
Around 1859 the geologist and Newburgh
Newburgh, Fife
Newburgh is a royal burgh of Fife, Scotland having a population of 2040 . Newburgh has grown little since 1901 when the population was counted at 1904 persons....
minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
John Anderson discovered what turned out to be extensive sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
deposits of ganoid fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in this area.
The Dura Den Wood is being managed by the Woodland Trust
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom concerned with the protection and sympathetic management of native woodland heritage.-History:...
, and occupies an area of 4.25 acres (17,199.2 m²). The woods include ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, and hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
.