Option 3 - to Thurso Railway Station and then by road, Option 1 - from Inverness - 106 Miles Approx 2h33min Smoo Cave is a large combined sea cave and freshwater cave in Durness in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. IV27 4QB Before reaching Durness The cave has formed along the bound 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 stands directly beneath the A838 running east of Durness. Isle of Lewis, Isle of Harris & Stornoway. Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs Any booking you make will not be placed with VisitScotland and we will have no liability to you in respect of any booking. Rome2rio makes travelling from Inverness to Smoo Cave easy. Allow sufficient time on your journey to visit here then the nearby attractions. Partway through the cave the waters of Allt Smoo also drop in as a 20 metres (66 ft) high waterfall. Expert local knowledge, gifts and inspiration. It measures approx 3m diameter by 0.2 m high. The word Smoo is a Norse word "Sumvya" meaning creek or cleft. Smoo Cave is a large combined sea cave and freshwater cave in Durness in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. 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. Turn right and Smoo Cave Hotel is up on the left, Option 4 - from John O’Groats - 89.1 Miles Approx 2h19min 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 has an amazing history linking Vikings to this coastal fishing community and is able to offer guided tours in peak season. VisitScotland does not have any control over the content or availability of any external website. Stay on A835 to Ledmore You can now search our website to see what businesses are open and signed up to the Good to Go scheme. 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. Leave Durness towards Tongue Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs All rights reserved. Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice. Smoo Cave tour, Durness, Scotland. 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. Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs About Smoo Cave. Smoo Cave. Caves. Smoo Cave in Durness: Find opening hours and directions, compare prices before booking, see photos, and read reviews. Smoo Cave has an amazing history linking Vikings to this coastal fishing community and is able to offer guided tours in peak season. Turn left on A837 towards Laxford Bridge By Plane Public Transport. A trip to Smoo Cave has to be included in any stay in Durness. Head West on A836 through Thurso and onto Tongue 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. Turn right at Laxford Bridge, continue on A838 to Durness Inner passages are formed from rainwater which continuously dissolves carbonate dolostones. Scottish Highlands, Tel: +44 1971 511 227 Why not stay in a castle, a lighthouse or on a working farm? 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. Smoo Cave, however, provides some answers and, thankfully, was immune to the destructive power of pre-modern man. Legend has it that Smoo Cave is a gateway to the Otherworld – or into the faery realm – and that it's guarded by spirits. Option 1 - to Inverness Railway Station and then by road 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 ). © 2021 VisitScotland. 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 located in Durness, within the Sutherland region of North West Scotland. Keep an eye open for the Smoo Cave Hotel signs Head North Only experienced, well-equipped 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 is located at the eastern edge of the village of Durness, on Scotland’s most northerly coastline. Storm Forecast - Your local storm risk forecast - check the risk of thunderstorms wherever you are in the UK. Steps to Smoo Cave then gravel track, and road with pavement. 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. Smoo Cave and Bhlar Duibhe. My wife and I visited off peak and were able to peruse the cave at our own leisure. It consists of a main cave (33m wide and 48m deep) and a series of smaller, subsidiary, caves. "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. It was formed by a burn that runs down into the rear chamber, as well as erosion caused by the sea. The cave boasts one of the largest entrances to any sea cave in Britain at 50 ft high and is floodlit inside. Smoo Cave is Scotlands only show cave. Turn left on A838 The cave is developed with wooden trails and has electric light, but there are no guided tours and no entrance fee. Turn left at Laxford Bridge, continue on A838 to Durness 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. 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. 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. Smoo Cave Scottish Highlands. The cave system is 200 feet long, 130 feet wide and stretches 50 feet high at the gaping main entrance. Option 2 - to Lairg Railway Station and then by road Smoo Cave boundary formed between the light grey Sangomore Formation and dark grey, leopard Rock formation. If you proceed to make a booking you will leave our Website and visit a website owned and operated by a third party. It is intended to provide real time availability information relating to accommodation which is also provided by third parties. Through Bonar Bridge and through Lairg on A836 A limestone outcrop explains the presence of the cave and sandy beaches. Option 2 - to Wick Airport and then by road, By Train Continue on A836 to Tongue Before reaching Durness Find more advice on exploring Scotland during Covid-19 on our dedicated page. Turn left on A838 going through Tongue and continue on A838 to Durness Sutherland The cave was formed within Early Ordovician Dolostones of the Durness Limestone Group. Loch Lomond, The Trossachs, Stirling & Forth Valley, VisitScotland / Paul Tomkins, all rights reserved. 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. It is a dramatic location and on the only primary road in the area, the A838 Durness to Tongue. Allow sufficient time on your journey to visit here then the nearby attractions. Continue on A838 to Durness This dramatic and spectacular sea cave is set into the limestone cliffs in Sutherland. Smoo Cave is situated at the head of a narrow inlet which runs inland 600m from the N coast of Durness. My wife and I visited off peak and were able to peruse the cave at our own leisure. The Smoo Cave Hotel [postcode: IV27 4QB] is situated in the East of Durness, just off the A838 at Lerinmore. The walk is about 1.3 miles long with little elevation gain. 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. 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. Smoo Cave is fully accessible 365 days a year public access with a walkway into the waterfall chamber, free of charge. Smoo Cave Tours / GSG / SCRO. Divers have only ever explored the first 40m of it because a fine, peaty silt quickly reduces visibility to zero. Turn left and Smoo Cave Hotel is up on the left, Option 3 - from Inverness - 116 Miles Approx 2h50min 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. Terrain. 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. 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. Through Bonar Bridge and through Lairg on A836 Smoo Cave has a mouth 40m wide and 49m high and it stretches 83 meters into the Earth. There’s a small parking lot that gets crowded, but you can also park a little ways up the road. At the Tore roundabout turn left on A835 to Ullapool Allow sufficient time on your journey to visit here then the nearby attractions. 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. My wife and I visited off peak and were able to peruse the cave at our own leisure. It is a rather large sea cave, but the rear part is a karst cave which formed inside limestones of the Durness Group . 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. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. 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. Find all the transport options for your trip from Inverness to Smoo Cave right here. The word Smoo is a Norse word "Sumvya"(Smjuga) meaning creek or cleft. Head North At the eastern end of the extended village of Durness is the car park for Smoo Cave. The best way to get from London to Smoo Cave costs only £128 and takes just 11¼ hours. Turn left and Smoo Cave Hotel is up on the left, Option 2 - from Inverness - 126 Miles Approx 2h54min Recent excavations show that the cave was in use 6,000 years ago by the earliest settlers in the north. Visited by OS (J M) 11 April 1980. Next to the village of Durness, you can find this unusual cave formed by the sea. You may use this booking system to place direct bookings with third party accommodation providers. Inverness - Discover Smoo Cave and live the real experience with the Green Michelin Guide - find useful information and opening times - Smoo Cave. Find the travel options that best suit you. Turning right on A894 towards Laxford Bridge Smoo Cave has an amazing history linking Vikings to this coastal fishing community and is able to offer guided tours in peak season. And indeed, quite fittingly, a pothole in the third chamber leads no one knows where. Iconic Ben Nevis needs to be top of your Scottish to-do list. It's easy to reach, following the directions from the tourist office. No proper excavations have been done at Smoo Cave although a mound, thought to be a kitchen midden, was dug over in 1904. Through the Smoo cave, water of Allt Smoo also drops as a 20 metres long waterfall. 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. Head North The largest of its kind in Britain, Smoo Cave is one of Sutherland’s most impressive natural head scratchers. The waters of Allt Smoo plunge into a funnel and reappear at the entrance of the outer cave. Mob: +44 7709 441 620. From the Neolithic era to today the cave … Throughout its existence it has been just that. Option 1 - to Inverness Airport and then by road Durness 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. smoocavetours.weebly.com This dramatic and spectacular sea cave is set into the limestone cliffs in Sutherland. 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. The name of the cave, “Smoo”, comes from an old Norse word, “smjugg”, meaning “the hiding-place”. Smoo Cave is formed within Early Ordovician dolostones of the Durness Group (also known as the Durness Limestone). Lerin Smoo Cave in the far northern Highlands is arguably one of – if not the – most impressive natural wonders in Scotland.. 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