The cave system is 200 feet long, 130 feet wide and stretches 50 feet high at the gaping main entrance. Leave Durness towards Tongue Dating potentially as far back as the Mesolithic period legends include that it was used by the devil for his mischief making, utilised as a death trap by highwayman Donald McMurdo and, naturally, a base for smuggling operations. Mob: +44 7709 441 620. Find the travel options that best suit you. You can now search our website to see what businesses are open and signed up to the Good to Go scheme. VisitScotland does not have any control over the content or availability of any external website. Turn left at Laxford Bridge, continue on A838 to Durness Smoo Cave has an amazing history linking Vikings to this coastal fishing community and is able to offer guided tours in peak season. You may use this booking system to place direct bookings with third party accommodation providers. Smoo Cave Hotel in Durness, UK: View Tripadvisor's 239 unbiased reviews, 73 photos, and special offers for Smoo Cave Hotel, #5 out of 10 Durness B&Bs / inns. No proper excavations have been done at Smoo Cave although a mound, thought to be a kitchen midden, was dug over in 1904. The largest of its kind in Britain, Smoo Cave is one of Sutherland’s most impressive natural head scratchers. Before reaching Durness Leave Durness towards Tongue Option 3 - to Thurso Railway Station and then by road, Option 1 - from Inverness - 106 Miles Approx 2h33min Option 2 - to Lairg Railway Station and then by road Smoo Cave is ideally situated as it has access from the sea via a long and narrow sea loch called Geo Smoo, where high cliffs provide shelter even in the roughest of weather. Option 1 - to Inverness Railway Station and then by road Smoo Cave. It is intended to provide real time availability information relating to accommodation which is also provided by third parties. Partway through the cave the waters of Allt Smoo also drop in as a 20 metres (66 ft) high waterfall. Find all the transport options for your trip from Inverness to Smoo Cave right here. Directions to Smoo Cave Hotel The Smoo Cave Hotel [postcode: IV27 4QB] is situated in the East of Durness, just off the A838 at Lerinmore. Caves. It was formed by a burn that runs down into the rear chamber, as well as erosion caused by the sea. Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs Stay on A835 to Ledmore Smoo Cave Scottish Highlands. Turn right at Laxford Bridge, continue on A838 to Durness At the Tore roundabout turn left on A835 to Ullapool The cave is developed with wooden trails and has electric light, but there are no guided tours and no entrance fee. Only experienced, well-equipped From the Neolithic era to today the cave … Smoo Cave is a large combined sea cave and freshwater cave in Durness in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. Turn left on A837 towards Laxford Bridge Smoo Cave Hotel, Durness: See 459 unbiased reviews of Smoo Cave Hotel, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #1 of 6 restaurants in Durness. smoocavetours.weebly.com Find more advice on exploring Scotland during Covid-19 on our dedicated page. The word Smoo is a Norse word "Sumvya"(Smjuga) meaning creek or cleft. Next to the village of Durness, you can find this unusual cave formed by the sea. Smoo Cave is Scotlands only show cave. Smoo Cave is located in Durness, within the Sutherland region of North West Scotland. Head North Before reaching Durness Smoo Cave boundary formed between the light grey Sangomore Formation and dark grey, leopard Rock formation. Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs  Through Bonar Bridge and through Lairg on A836 The cave has formed along the bound The cave is unique within the UK [citation needed] 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. Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice. Option 2 - to Wick Airport and then by road, By Train It's easy to reach, following the directions from the tourist office. This is a cave that’s absolutely monumental in size, and the cave entrance has the privilege of being the largest sea cave entrance in Britain – something you’ll only really appreciate once you visit the place. Explore Smoo Cave, a massive sea cave, and then head inland on a moorland track for a pleasant, fairly flat circuit, with a short section along a minor road with pavement. Turning right on A894 towards Laxford Bridge Terrain. It is a rather large sea cave, but the rear part is a karst cave which formed inside limestones of the Durness Group . Public Transport. Smoo Cave and Bhlar Duibhe. It consists of a main cave (33m wide and 48m deep) and a series of smaller, subsidiary, caves. This dramatic and spectacular sea cave is set into the limestone cliffs in Sutherland. Smoo Cave is located at the eastern edge of the village of Durness, on Scotland’s most northerly coastline. The Smoo Cave Hotel [postcode: IV27 4QB] is situated in the East of Durness, just off the A838 at Lerinmore. And indeed, quite fittingly, a pothole in the third chamber leads no one knows where. Turn left and Smoo Cave Hotel is up on the left, Option 3 - from Inverness - 116 Miles Approx 2h50min Loch Lomond, The Trossachs, Stirling & Forth Valley, VisitScotland / Paul Tomkins, all rights reserved. Through Bonar Bridge and through Lairg on A836 My wife and I visited off peak and were able to peruse the cave at our own leisure. Divers have only ever explored the first 40m of it because a fine, peaty silt quickly reduces visibility to zero. The word Smoo is a Norse word "Sumvya" meaning creek or cleft. To get into the caves, it is first necessary to take a small dinghy across a little lake to start on a path that leads deeper into the cave. The shell midden is just within entrance to Smoo Cave on E side of a stream which has eroded it, and is much flattened by foot passage. Allow sufficient time on your journey to visit here then the nearby attractions. Iconic Ben Nevis needs to be top of your Scottish to-do list. "Smoo" is a name thought to derive from the Old Norse Smuga which 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. Continue on A836 to Tongue The cave has been the scene of many historical visitations, see list of references, but the best account is by Sir Walter Scott , after a visit in 1814 ( Lockhart ). Smoo Cave was near the town of Durness on the far northwest extreme of Highland Scotland.. To get here from Inverness, we took a route that involved taking the A9 towards Tore (a little over 8 miles), then taking the A835 (becoming A837) towards the A894 (about 74 miles).. Then, we’d follow the A894 for another 18 miles before it merges with the A838 road. Smoo Cave Tours / GSG / SCRO. If you proceed to make a booking you will leave our Website and visit a website owned and operated by a third party. © 2021 VisitScotland. Any booking you make will not be placed with VisitScotland and we will have no liability to you in respect of any booking. Scottish Highlands, Tel:  +44 1971 511 227 There’s a small parking lot that gets crowded, but you can also park a little ways up the road. This dramatic and spectacular sea cave is set into the limestone cliffs in Sutherland. 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. Sutherland Inner passages are formed from rainwater which continuously dissolves carbonate dolostones. Lerin 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. Smoo Cave is a large combined sea cave and freshwater cave in Durness in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. Throughout its existence it has been just that. About Smoo Cave. IV27 4QB All rights reserved. The sea not only delved deep into the limestone cliffs, but carved out the largest entrance of any sea cave in Britain - more than 15 meters high. It measures approx 3m diameter by 0.2 m high. Smoo Cave, however, provides some answers and, thankfully, was immune to the destructive power of pre-modern man. Smoo Cave is situated at the head of a narrow inlet which runs inland 600m from the N coast of Durness. Smoo Cave stands directly beneath the A838 running east of Durness. Rome2rio makes travelling from Inverness to Smoo Cave easy. Head West on A836 through Thurso and onto Tongue A visit to Smoo Cave represents just the start of the adventure when you use our Durness trip builder tool to plot your vacation. Smoo Cave has a mouth 40m wide and 49m high and it stretches 83 meters into the Earth. Visited by OS (J M) 11 April 1980. Turn right and Smoo Cave Hotel is up on the left, Option 4 - from John O’Groats - 89.1 Miles Approx 2h19min Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs  Legend has it that Smoo Cave is a gateway to the Otherworld – or into the faery realm – and that it's guarded by spirits. Smoo Cave in the far northern Highlands is arguably one of – if not the – most impressive natural wonders in Scotland.. Steps to Smoo Cave then gravel track, and road with pavement. Allow sufficient time on your journey to visit here then the nearby attractions. It is a dramatic location and on the only primary road in the area, the A838 Durness to Tongue. The name of the cave, “Smoo”, comes from an old Norse word, “smjugg”, meaning “the hiding-place”. Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs  Smoo Cave has an amazing history linking Vikings to this coastal fishing community and is able to offer guided tours in peak season. Should you wish to venture further inside and learn about the natural and human history of the cave, then you can join us for a tour. Option 1 - to Inverness Airport and then by road Smoo Cave in Durness: Find opening hours and directions, compare prices before booking, see photos, and read reviews. Smoo Cave is formed within Early Ordovician dolostones of the Durness Group (also known as the Durness Limestone). Guided tours for small groups are conducted from April to October, but the tours are weather dependent as heavy rainfall can cause flooding in the caves. The limestone cave lies east of Durness village, at the end of an eight hundred metre sea inlet; Geodha Smoo; where the Smoo burn drops from the level of the road underground. Smoo Cave has an amazing history linking Vikings to this coastal fishing community and is able to offer guided tours in peak season. My wife and I visited off peak and were able to peruse the cave at our own leisure. Smoo cave is a unique sea cave of UK because its first chamber has been built by the action of the sea however the inner chambers have been made of freshwater passages. By Plane Smoo is a word of Norse origin, meaning cleft, or hole. Expert local knowledge, gifts and inspiration. It boasts one of the largest entrances to any sea cave in Britain at about 15 metres high, allowing natural light to beautifully illuminate the spacious moss-covered main chamber. Smoo Cave tour, Durness, Scotland. Inverness - Discover Smoo Cave and live the real experience with the Green Michelin Guide - find useful information and opening times - Smoo Cave. The best way to get from London to Smoo Cave costs only £128 and takes just 11¼ hours. Continue on A838 to Durness Starting at the Smoo Cave visitor parking lot, you will make your way to the trail head and hike down the Scottish coast line towards the mouth of the cave. Turn right and Smoo Cave Hotel is up on the left, Option 1 - from Inverness - 106 Miles Approx 2h33min, Option 2 - from Inverness - 126 Miles Approx 2h54min, Option 3 - from Inverness - 116 Miles Approx 2h50min, Option 4 - from John O’Groats - 89.1 Miles Approx 2h19min. A trip to Smoo Cave has to be included in any stay in Durness. The cave boasts one of the largest entrances to any sea cave in Britain at 50 ft high and is floodlit inside. Smoo Cave Hotel, Durness: See 425 unbiased reviews of Smoo Cave Hotel, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #1 of 6 restaurants in Durness. The walk is about 1.3 miles long with little elevation gain. This booking system and any information appearing on this page relating to the availability of any accommodation is provided by third parties and not by VisitScotland. Turn left on A838 going through Tongue and continue on A838 to Durness Durness The waters of Allt Smoo plunge into a funnel and reappear at the entrance of the outer cave. Turn left and Smoo Cave Hotel is up on the left, Option 2 - from Inverness - 126 Miles Approx 2h54min Why not stay in a castle, a lighthouse or on a working farm? Head North A limestone outcrop explains the presence of the cave and sandy beaches. At the eastern end of the extended village of Durness is the car park for Smoo Cave. Recent excavations show that the cave was in use 6,000 years ago by the earliest settlers in the north. Allow sufficient time on your journey to visit here then the nearby attractions. Through the Smoo cave, water of Allt Smoo also drops as a 20 metres long waterfall. Situated just east of Durness, the dramatic and spectacular Smoo Cave can be found tucked away in the limestone cliffs of the Geodha Smoo inlet. Head North My wife and I visited off peak and were able to peruse the cave at our own leisure. Isle of Lewis, Isle of Harris & Stornoway. Smoo Cave is fully accessible 365 days a year public access with a walkway into the waterfall chamber, free of charge. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. Turn left on A838 The cave was formed within Early Ordovician Dolostones of the Durness Limestone Group. Storm Forecast - Your local storm risk forecast - check the risk of thunderstorms wherever you are in the UK. This booking system and any information appearing on this page is provided for your information and convenience only and is not intended to be an endorsement by VisitScotland of the content of such linked websites, the quality of any accommodation listed, or of the services of any third party. Community and is floodlit inside it is a karst Cave which formed limestones. Carbonate dolostones provided by third parties smoo also drop in as a 20 metres waterfall... Or on a working farm and from any location in the North 200 feet long, 130 feet and! With VisitScotland and we will have no liability to you in respect of any booking dedicated.. Recent excavations show that the Cave was in use 6,000 years ago the... And were able to peruse the Cave is one of – if not the – most natural. Easy to reach, following the directions from the tourist office however provides... 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