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In the early 1700s, the Smoo Cave was the setting for a murderous trap. The cave boasts one of the largest entrances to any sea cave … The residents of nearby Durness lured a clan of 18 marauders into the cave and slaughtered them to a man. Smoo Cave: Smoo cave - See 1,119 traveler reviews, 1,056 candid photos, and great deals for Durness, UK, at Tripadvisor. I’m Nat, the backpacker behind the travel blog. The journey takes 5 hours and goes via Ullapool. The first two chambers can be explored by foot. “A water kelpie or an evil spirit of aquatic propensities could not have chosen a fitter abode and to say the truth I believe at our first entrance and all our feelings were afloat at the marvelling of the scene the unexpected splashing of a seal would have routed the whole dozen of us. So many places to visit with loads of history and legends! "Smoo" is a name thought to derive from the Old Norse Smugawhich means "hiding place" and the name is applied to this end of the village and to the river, the Allt Smoo, which disappears into a sinkhole on the inland side of the A838 a short distance from the car park, as well as to Smoo Cave itself. This forms an impressive blowhole during storms. If you purchase anything I will then receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Smoo caves are unusual, as there is freshwater and saltwater in the caverns. Smoo Cave boundary formed between the light grey … Since then I have been determined to see as much of this world as possible. As the dog came back terrified it is certain that the devil can be found in the cave. My passion for travel led me to start up this blog, partly to record my adventures and partly to inspire others to travel. Archaeologist Tony Pollard, who led the excavation in the early 1990s and is now Director of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at Glasgow University, earlier said the cave may have been used as a temporary stop over by Norse mariners on their voyages from Scandinavia and the Northern Isles to the Western Isles, Ireland and the Isle of Man. Other locations that have been collected here on Natpacker.com. Smoo Cave is a large combined sea cave and freshwater cave in Durness in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. The caves are beautiful, as are the sea views, and so worth a stop if you are exploring the Scottish Highlands. This will be a very long day if you do this, and you will end up with only an hour at the cave. 1:07. The cave was formed along the boundary between two types of rock, the Sangomore Formation and the Sailmhor Formation. Naturally, the cave was likely used by smugglers in the past. Durnessis the car park for Smoo Cave. All that means is that if you go via these links and then buy something, I receive a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Don’t forget to follow me on social media to keep up to date with my recent posts, adventures and thoughts. Smoo cave has one of the largest entrances to a sea cave in Britain. There is also a path that leads you over the cliffs next to Smoo Cave, from here the sea views are incredible, so it’s well worth heading out here too. BBC Scotland. It costs you no extra and just helps to keep me blogging. With a moody, restless dusk falling, I descend into the jagged, fern-bearded mouth of Smoo Cave, a Tolkienesque venue by name and nature: you expect to be asked a riddle to gain entrance, or stumble across a mossy pile of treasure in the gloom. © 2021 Natpacker. McMurdo murdered his victims by throwing them down the blowhole into the cave with the highwayman buried in a tomb at nearby Balnakeil Church. The is a car park at the top of Smoo Cave (be wary, it gets very busy in summer). It is thought they dated from Mesolithic Period, or the Stone Age, when the earliest human inhabitants arrived in the Highlands between 8,000BC and 4,000BC. As the Devil tried to follow the dog to cause some mischief the sun rose, leaving the Devil powerless. Walkways steep so would be difficult for … Strange tales from 6 sacred stone sites of Scotland, Glasgow to create new £11.9m film and TV studio at historic Kelvin Hall. Visited ghe cave as a party of 6 with 2 younger children. Yesterday. In this chamber, there is a waterfall of about 25m and some eerie rock formations. I’m Nat, the backpacker behind natpacker. I had no idea this place existed but it sounds pretty awesome. “Impossible for description to explain the impression made by so strange a place.”. 1:58. Smoo Cave is found about 1 mile east of the village Durness (which is the most northwestern village on the British mainland). Occasionally they may also throw them down a waterfall at Smoo Cave to save them the walk. The peaty waters of the Allt Smoo flow off the moors, tranquil until they vanish into the darkness of a gaping sink hole. Situated around a mile to the east of the town of Durness, the cave can be explored by boat or by the path from the car park on the cliffs. It is believed that the cave was occupied during the Stone Age more than 5,000 years ago. The cave was formed along the boundary between two types of rock, the Sangomore Formation and the Sailmhor Formation. Some are tours, some are accommodation, some are transport. Smoo Cave is on the A838, as well as being on the North Coast 500 route. For many centuries the cave was believed to be the residence of none other than Satan himself, so it was no surprise when locals found bodies dumped in the cave system, but these were simply men who’d crossed the local laird not paladins struck down by the lord of darkness. The bus that runs between Durness and Lairg stops near the car park. Smoo Cave is a geological wonder, and with a place like that you can bet there are myths tied to it. -This is a private tour of 3 days that will be customised around you. Old stories state that the gateway to the faerie world is found inside this cave, guarded by spirits. I’m always hearing of new places once I get home too. “Rumours has it that one of the bodies has never been found to this day; but the ghost of this lost man appears in the foam below the waterfall inside the second chamber of Smoo Cave when the burn is in high flood.”. Great post. Hi! There is Smoo Hotel or if you are camping, you can stay at Sango Sands. Natpacker is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Programme, AWIN and other affiliate sites. Still a great stop off, superb views from Smoo Cave: Smoo Cave visit - See 1,096 traveller reviews, 1,009 candid photos, and great deals for Durness, UK, at Tripadvisor. We ascended the steps to the other side of the cave and took a walk along the top of the stunning cliffs. Sir Walter Scott visited Smoo Cave in 1814, who wrote about it in his diary and brought the cave to public attention. The limestone cliffs give way to three caverns that can be explored. On noting his lamp on the dew-covered stalactites, Scott described it as the “effect of ten thousand birthday candles. Cloud rolls over the mountain Beinn Spionnaidh near Durness in the remote northern Highlands of Scotland. The main chamber is the result of erosion from the sea whereas the inner chambers are made from the freshwater passages, where rainwater dissolved the carbonate dolomites. The deeper the archaeologists went, the older the remains with butchered bones and small flakes of quartz discovered in the midden’s base. ©JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. New Dig at Smoo Cave In September 2012 we finally got permission to attempt to find a new cave inside the main chamber after submitting an archaeological report (click here to view). Discover the history of the most iconic bridge in Venice. Hope you make it to Smoo cave in the future , Your email address will not be published. Smoo caves are the result of erosion from the sea and an underground stream, making it unique in the UK. In the early 1700s, the Smoo Cave was the setting for a murderous trap. More deaths occurred later in the century, when two Inland Revenue officers were drowned in the second chamber’s thunderous waterfall. Please see the privacy policy for more details. Still a great stop off, superb views from MacKay was employed by the officials and was meant to helo them search. Archaeologists created a picture of high activity, with a peg carved from antler, a bone spatula and a broken bone needle, with a perforated round head - which may have been used to make and repair fishing nets - discovered. The name Smoo Cave is likely to have come from the Norse ‘smjugg’ or ‘smuga’ meaning a hole or hiding-place. The entrance to the cave is found at the end of a 600-metre long tidal gorge which is called Gaeodha Smoo (Gaeodha is Gaelic for “cave”). Would love to visit! The easiest way to get to the caves is to drive. Smoo Cave: Fun day out - See 1,119 traveler reviews, 1,056 candid photos, and great deals for Durness, UK, at Tripadvisor. It is both a freshwater and sea cave, which has been formed along two geological lines of weakness. It’s definitely worth a visit. Though the cave will go much further back as the stream is here at all times. Smoo Cave: Smoo Cave - See 1,119 traveler reviews, 1,056 candid photos, and great deals for Durness, UK, at Tripadvisor. Reasons To Visit Mexico – And Get Out Of The Resort, Things To Do In England – Must Have Experiences, How To Cope With Your Periods When Travelling, Mexico Travel Tips – What You Should Know, Best Places To Visit In Mexico That You’ve Never Heard Of. One such tale tells of the highwayman McMurdo, who threw his victims down the blowhole. Using 3-D imaging technology, archaeologists have mapped Scotland's "Cave … Love the photos, the caves looks awesome. Fascinating. Norse settlements have been found in Caithness, including Dunnet Bay, around 46 miles away with only a burial site recorded nearby. Required fields are marked *. The Devil then threw a dickie-fit and blasted his way through the roof of the cave, which is how the blowhole was created. There is one a day which is run by D&E coaches. The stream plunges 25m, hitting rocks as it … Smoo Cave in the far northern Highlands is arguably one of – if not the – most impressive natural wonders in Scotland. A mysterious sea cave is finally becoming slightly less mysterious. Personally, I have not done this walk, but you can find details here. Visited Smoo cave, while driving the northern most section of the North Coast 500. If you like my blog and want to help to support my work, please go via these links if you are using the companies for your travels. Lairg Tourism; Lairg Hotels; Lairg Bed and Breakfast; Lairg Vacation Packages; Flights to Lairg; Lairg Restaurants; Things to Do in Lairg; Lairg Travel Forum Hope you make it to Smoo Cave one day . We spent about an hour, at the cave. As such, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you plan on visiting Smoo Cave, you can find nearby hostels on HostelWorld. The inner cave, home to a thunderous waterfall, is by local repute the gateway to hell. I’ve been all around Scotland but have never heard of smoo cave! There are steps leading down to the cave that can be accessed all year. The rain had been heavy so the water was rushing through the cave as we entered. But it is possible. I love Scotland so much! The below links will take you to travel resources that I recommend. Sir Walter Scott agreed with this, describing the third chamber as exceedingly strange and a perfect place for dark beings from the netherworld to reside. This is because it is actually two caves, that have been formed by different actions, joined up. Great stop off a Smoo Cave. It consists of a main cave (33m wide and 48m deep) and a series of smaller, subsidiary, caves. Visible archaeological deposits are confined to the main cave and consist of a midden covering much of the E portion of the cave; this is at least 17m long and a maximum of 8m wide. All Rights Reserved. A number of marine shells, including oysters and limpets and animal bones, including deer, suggest the diet of the day. Smoo Cave: Smoo Cave - See 1,087 traveller reviews, 981 candid photos, and great deals for Durness, UK, at Tripadvisor. As Smoo Cave is out in the highlands, it is not the easiest place to get to. In 1992 an archaeological dig on a midden site - similar to a rubbish tip- concluded the cave was one of the of the most northerly habitation sites in the British mainland. The third chamber can only be explored by boat, which requires you to book a Smoo Cave tour, which you can do here, or there is normally a board with details on. The tale goes that two government agents were seeking out illegal whisky stills. You can find timetables here. There’s so much to see in Scotland! Downton Abbey actor Peter Egan condemned the sick festival, which sees thousands of dogs cruelly killed and eaten every year. Wildlife, poisonous trees, ruins and Mayan culture in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. The second chamber is much smaller than the main chamber, but still very impressive. The cave was formed within Early Ordovician Dolostones of the Durness Limestone Group. Smoo Cave has to be included in any stay in north west Scotland. Smoo Cave, Durness: See 1,119 reviews, articles, and 1,056 photos of Smoo Cave, ranked No.5 on Tripadvisor among 19 attractions in Durness. While proving to be a safe harbour from the pounding North Sea, Smoo Cave has also inspired some rather romantic responses, such as an 1814 diary entry from Sir Walter Scott, who visited on September 19 that year. Amazon Services LLC Associates Programme, AWIN and other affiliate sites North Scotland. More than 5,000 years ago are wooden platforms that lead smoo cave bodies to the cave and slaughtered to. ) and a series of smaller, subsidiary, caves I read one of the highwayman in... Cave anymore, due to the caves can be found in Caithness, including Bay. Don ’ t forget to follow me on social media to keep up to the Age... 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