Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Free, An Eye Opening Experience |
| Disadvantages: |
Not Suitable For Anybody Unsteady On Their Feet |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Smoo Cave lies on the top North West Coast of Scotland about a mile East of the Village of Durness. It is the largest Sea Cave in the British Isles and has proved a popular Tourist attraction since Sir Walter Scott visited the area in 1814.
I visited this place a few years ago and had a thoroughly enjoyable time, hence my reason for making it the subject of my latest review.
VISITING SMOO CAVE
The Cave is set amongst one of the most dramatic Coastlines in Britain on the A838 Durness to Tongue Road. It is clearly signposted but since the A838 is the only major Road in this area it is something that you really cannot fail to miss.
There is a Car Park situated beside the Road but we walked to Smoo Cave from Durness Village which is a pleasant walk up a long incline.
Access to the Cave itself is via a set of very steep wooden steps that wind down the hillside to the Sea so unfortunately a visit here would not be suitable for the disabled or anyone who is unsteady on their feet. At the bottom of these steps it is then necessary to cross a shallow bit of the Sea itself, this is only possible at low tide so it worth checking on the tide times beforehand to ensure that you are not disappointed. Having said that however we visited on spec one afternoon and did not have a problem.
The stretch of Sea that you have to cross at the bottom can be done in two ways, this is either via a set of stepping stones, which is good fun for the kids, or via a wooden and somewhat unsteady Bridge.
The entrance to the Cave itself is large and round measuring 130 feet across and 50 feet high, although the inside of the Cave is much smaller in proportion at only 200 feet long.
As you walk into the Cave the first thing that you will notice is the noise of Water gushing through the Cave. This water falls via a hole in the room but it is not immediately visible at first since it is located in a smaller second Cave beyond the first much larger Cave.
The Waterfall can be clearly seen from the second Cave but should you wish to get up really close then this is only possible via a short Boat Trip (See below).
The Waterfall is a truly magnificent sight and is created by the Water from a small Burn called the Allt Smoo which falls uninterrupted for 80 feet through the Caves.
THE BOAT TRIP TO THE WATERFALL
For a small charge of around £3 for Adults and half price for children and students you can take a Boat Trip deeper into the Cave. The Boat is rather small and manned by a jolly local Chap who enjoys talking about the Cave with obvious enthusiasm.
This trip takes you to the foot of the Waterfall and the noise of the Water falling is deafening. This journey only lasts about 15 minutes but it is certainly not for the faint hearted as you are asked to duck down on at least a couple of occasions, firstly to avoid a low hanging wooden beam and then shortly afterwards to avoid a lump of Rock.
At the point where the Boat stops you are then asked to get out and scramble across some wet, slippery Rocks to a viewing platform, this is a little bit daunting but the
experience at the end of it is well worth the hassle.
OTHER INFORMATION
A trip to Smoo Cave is definitely well worth a visit if you are in this area and if you don't have a lot of time it needn't be a long visit as even taking in the Boat Trip it is something that you can quite easily do in about an hour.
The Car Park and the Cave are both open all year round and there is no charge for either, which is a bit of a rarity for a Tourist attraction of this kind. There is also no Cafe/Restaurant or even a Gift Shop which is perhaps even more unusual but then again this is the wilds of the Scottish Highlands.
Oh and just in case you were wondering about the name. Smoo Cave is thought to get its rather unusual name from the Norse word "Sumvya" meaning creek or cleft.
Thank you for reading.
