Smoo Cave, Durness in Northern Scotland

Dramatic Underground Cavern has been Occupied since the Iron Age

Apr 29, 2009 Richard Mudhar

Visit this remarkable limestone cave system, which has been inhabited sporadically from prehistoric times.

The dramatic and sparsely inhabited coastline of Northern Scotland has few towns and major roads. The drive from Tongue on the Northern coast to Ullapool on the west is along the picturesque A838. Though the frequent single-track sections with passing places are not what most people expect for an A road, the scenery makes up to the challenge.

Durness is the last town on the northern coast before the road drops inland cutting off the promontory of Cape Wrath, and the limestone cliffs are host to Smoo Cave, hollowed out of the rock by the action of the sea and the stream the Allt Smoo. There is a small car park and toilets at road level on the top of the cliff. From here a path leads down the cliff to the entrance to the first chamber of the cave.

The entrance is about 15 metres high, and a small wooden walkway leads across the trickle of the Allt Smoo as it comes out fo the cave flowing to the sea. The large rocky pedestal to the left of the cave entrance is the remains of a pillar which used to extend to the roof. In the past the roof extended further over the inlet from the sea and has been eroded over time.

Here there is some information about the cave, and how to get boat tours to go into the third chamber of the cave structure. That part is only accessible by boat, but has some of the clearest remains of previous occupation.

A covered wooden walkway leads to the second chamber, which is lit. Here the Allt Smoo cascades down the limestone wall in an impressive waterfall - the flow varies with the weather upstream.

Fulmar Nests at Smoo Cave

In spring fulmars nest on the cliffs above the Smoo Cave, while are viewed easily from the path down to the entrance from the car park. These large gull-like birds are pelagic, related more to petrels than gulls. They lay a single egg in the breeding season, and protect it against predators by projecting their foul-smelling stomach contents up to 2 metres. However, they do not appear to be particularly disturbed by people walking down the path to the Smoo caves, though the colony does become more vocal.

Visiting Smoo Caves

There is no charge to visit the first and second chambers. The third chamber is only accessible by boat, and trip schedules and charges are posted by the car park. The car park is about a mile and a half east of the Durness Tourist Information Centre on the A838. The path descends about a hundred metres into the cave and is not wheelchair accessible. There is information and public toilets by the car park, and a larger car park about 50m south-east of the Smoo Caves car park. Durness has several B&Bs, a hotel and a campsite nearby.

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