Caves · Scottish Islands
Smoo Cave
Also known as: Uamh Smudha, Ogof Smoo
Smoo Cave is a cave in the United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Smoo Cave is a named cave entrance in the United Kingdom. Also known as: Uamh Smudha. Coordinates: 58.5633°, -4.7199°. This entry is part of The Great Britain Guide, a free, ad-free, open-data tourist directory.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Smoo Cave is a large combined sea cave and freshwater cave in Durness in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. The cave name, which was previously known as Smow(e) or Smo, may originate from the Norse 'smjúga' or 'smuga', meaning a narrow cleft, or hole. However, it could instead relate to the Gaelic word 'smùid', meaning fine spray (in relation to the cave's waterfall), or the Gaelic translation Uamh as Motha of "the Largest Cave" as it was also known according to Sir Walter Scott. The name Uamh Smùdha was introduced for purposes of bilingual signage at the site ca. 2010 and has since received use in Gaelic media.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
The cave is unique within the UK in that the first chamber has been formed by the action of the sea, whereas the inner chambers are freshwater passages, formed from rainwater dissolving the carbonate dolomites. Partway through the cave the waters of Allt Smoo also drop in as a 20 m high waterfall. This is mainly due to the nearby dolomite–quartzite geological boundary where the Allt Smoo stream crosses the impermeable quartzites and sinks on meeting the permeable dolomites. The cave can be thought of as two caves formed by different mechanisms that have joined together over time. The cave is composed of three main sections: a large sea cave entrance chamber, a waterfall chamber and a short…
Visiting
The cave is located 2 km east of the village of Durness and is presently served by a car park, toilets, stairs and walkways. Plans are being considered for access improvements for the estimated 40,000 visitors it receives annually. Tours of the cave also operate during the summer, taking visitors to the inner chamber by boat.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 58.5633, -4.7199
- District
- Highland
- Postcode
- IV27 4QA
- Parliamentary constituency
- Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Sources
- osm: n9386746849 (ODbL)
- wikipedia: Smoo Cave (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Entrance to Smoo Cave.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Smoo Cave?
- Smoo Cave is in the Scottish Islands, United Kingdom (postcode IV27 4QA).
- Is Smoo Cave free to visit?
- Yes, Smoo Cave is free to enter.
- How do I get to Smoo Cave?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode IV27 4QA. It sits within the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross parliamentary constituency.