Caving and Potholing

Scotland’s longest caves are in the limestone of Assynt. This is part of the Sutherland in the northwest about 20 km north of Ullapool and 90 km from Inverness. Assynt is the best caving region, of which three caves have over 1km of passages, and the longest is over 2km.

Some of the most significant cave regions are Traligill, Allt NanUamh & Knockan.

Caves of Traligill

Caves of Traligill Basin can be found to the East of Inchndamph, near Ben More, Assynt.

Glenbain Hole.

Pol Eighe.

Firehose Cave.

Tree Hole.

Lower Traligill Cave.

Cnoc Nan Uamh System (Hill of the Cave System).

Caves of the Allt Nan Uamh Basin

Caves of the Allt Nan Uamh Basin is to the South of the Traligill Basin.

Otter Hole.

Uamh An Claonait - Currently the longest cave in Scotland.

Allt Nan Uamh Stream Cave – (ANUS) Cave is the most complex subterranean maze in Scotland.

Uanh Ard.

Bone Cave – Bones and other artefacts of human settlement were discovered inside.

Caves of the Knockan Basinare

Caves of the Knockan Basinare are to South of Elphin.

Cold Water Cave

Uamh An Tartair

Uamh Cul Eoghainn (Cave of Ewan’s Hollow)

Elphin Hole

Uam Poll Eoghainn (Cave of Ewan’s Poo)

Knockan Pot

Another good caving region is in Appin. There are a large number of caves, 300 meters long, but they are getting harder to find, as the forest plantation is growing up.

Caves of Appin

Caves of Appin can be found south of Glencoe. There are four main areas east of Loch Linnhe, Bealach, Glenamuchrach, Glenstockdale and Coire Mulrooney.

Caves of Bealach

Uamh Nan Claig-Ionn (Cave of the Sculls) – Scotland’s deepest cave

Claon Uamh (Sloping Cave)

Uamh Na Duilean Brist (Cave of Broken Expectations)

Uamh Na Mnathan Uasal An Duror (Cave of the Old Ladies of Duror)

Glenamuchrach

Uanh a’Bhruthaich Chais Fhanda (Long Drop Cave)

Uamh Nan Gathan (Cave of Voices)

Uamh Raineach (Fern Cave)

Uamh Steall Na Burich (Cave of the Roaring Waters)

Glenstockdale

Glenstockdale Cave – The most complex (by plan) cave in Scotland

Coire Mulrooney

Alt Priomh Uamha (Main Stream Cave)

Uamh a’Chomaichag (Owl Hole)

Dundiggin Hole

PoolSeomar (Chamber Pot)

Uamh Nan Seobhrach (Primrose Hole)

Uamh Coire Sheileach

“Tales of some Scottish caves”

Many of caves have been known to locals for centuries, and tales told of their use by fugitives or out-laws.

Gryp’s Chamber, on the lower slpoes of Craig Maskeldie, was used by a notorious reiver who “mugged” travellers crossing the hills between Angus and Deeside.

The Cateran’s Cave was the hideout of outlaws who made a practice of raiding the lowland pastures and stealing cattle.

In Balnamoon’s Cave the laird of an estate near Brechin lay low in the aftermath of Culloden to escape the “Redcoats,” hot on his tail. And Bonnie Prince Charlie, too, was on the run after this same Jacobite defeat in 1746.

The Shelter Stone is as big as a cottage and its inner sanctuary can accommodate many. At least one prime minister and many titled people have spent the night there.

Hole o’Weems was the refuge for a laird of Clova Castle when his Castle was attacked and burned by his enemies.

Sawney Bean lived in a cave on the Galloway coast with his wife, 14 children and 32 grandchildren, killing, robbing and eating their victims. After a reign of terror an army detachment rounded them up and took them to Edinburgh where they were executed without trial.

“Sea Caves”

The large number of islands, off the west coast of Scotland mean, that there are quite a few sees caves to be found. The most famous of these is probably Fingal’s Cave on Staffa. Fingal’s Cave is a sea cave formed within Tertiary basalt lava flows, which have cooled to form hexagonal columns. There is a path in on one side, which involves stepping from one column to the next. The cave stretches 250 feet in to the rock and its roof is 70 feet above sea