Studies are reported towards the synthesis of solanoeclepin A (1), the hatching agent of potato cyst nematodes. Two approaches are investigated to access the tricyclic core including the intricate bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanone moiety. The first approach is based on the intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of dioxenone butenolide 10 and is shown to be less practical due to the limited synthetic utility of the photoproduct 11. The second approach uses as the key step the intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reaction of allene butenolide 39. This latter photosubstrate is prepared through silver-mediated coupling of silyloxyfuran 9 and allenic bromide