Smoo Cave

Roger W

Well-known member
For those cavers where The People's Friend is read in their home:

there's aye a wee article on the Smoo Cave in this week's issue.
 

gus horsley

New member
I'ver never read the People's Friend for more than a couple of words but I have been to Smoo Cave.  Very impressive, in limestone of Cambrian age (I think), but basically a huge sea cave with a waterfall at the back to surface.
 

Uamhair

New member
gus horsley said:
I'ver never read the People's Friend for more than a couple of words but I have been to Smoo Cave.  Very impressive, in limestone of Cambrian age (I think), but basically a huge sea cave with a waterfall at the back to surface.

Just to be pernickety, it's Ordovician dolomite  ;)

It's not just a sea-cave though.  Most of the system is actually karst (hence the waterfall) and has probably been impressively enlarged by the sea.  I can't think of any other cave in the UK which shows both types of features?  A fine spot to teach speleology (hence the summer geological tours).

A stream passage also runs beyond the waterfall chamber where it eventually sumps and goes at least 100m upstream, although this has only been dived to ~40m.  A decent sized second stream also emerges from the base of a debris cone the sea cave.  This debris is currently being dug with the hope of finding some opening at the bedrock wall seeing as surface features imply there's something in that area and there's 'missing' water from the initial upstream sink (this swallows the whole stream in dry conditions with the waterfall being an overflow route.  Nowhere near all of this water emerges from the rear sump) so there's almost certainly extra cave somewhere nearby.
 
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