About Smoo Cave
Smoo Cave was supposed to be one of the more unusual waterfalling excursions in that we were well aware that it featured a waterfall spilling into a pothole deep inside the cave itself. However, when we visited in late August 2014, the access footpath to get into the chamber with the waterfall was closed as a result of storm damage that really did in the area earlier in the month. So all we have to show for it was a cave visit with audio from the loud crashing water coming from the waterfall room, but we have nothing visual as far as the waterfall itself. Until we are fortunate to come back under conditions where we can see the waterfall with our own eyes, we can’t give it a higher rating since we can’t honestly say that we’ve experienced the waterfall itself. Only upon a successful re-visit would we consider re-evaluating the scenic rating score.
As for the cave itself, we began from a well-signposted and established car park just less than a mile east of the small town of Durness (see directions below). Since the site had free parking, I was quite surprised that we were able to find parking without much difficulty. If in the odd chance that the car park would be too full, there would be backup parking at the much larger space at the visitor center in Durness, in which case you’d have to walk the near mile to even get started.
Once we parked the car, we then walked down a series of steps leading from the cliff tops down to the stream leaving the mouth of the Smoo Cave. From a bridge down there, we got nice views of the impressively large cave entrance, and it hastened our steps to get into the cave as soon as we could. Once we were inside the cool confines of the cave, we walked around the stream past some signage talking about tours and the storm damage closure, then we briefly crossed the shallow stream before getting onto the wooden walkway with a rooftop shelter. Speaking of the storm damage, it could be possible that storm surges might have caused an inrush of water from the ocean to enter the cave. Either that, or the pothole waterfall further in the cave was so flooded that it damaged the walking infrastructure that otherwise would have allowed us to view the falls safely and for free.
Anyways, it was from this walkway that barricades were erected to prevent further access as a result of the storm damage to the walkway further beyond this point. There were a couple of guys with hard hats working on the walkway so I’d imagine any attempts at hopping the barricade would have been met with resistance from these guys. While it was disappointing at not being able to see the waterfall in the cave (the very reason why we came all the way out here in the first place), I’d have to say the size of this cave was impressive (said to be the largest sea cave in Britain), and the surrounding area of Durness had its own raw beauty from fine sand beaches to rocky cliffs with offshore sea stacks. Overall, our visit only took 35 minutes, but it would have been longer had we been able to spend more time in the waterfall room.
Related Trip Reports
Related Top 10 Lists
No Posts Found
Related Itineraries
Trip Planning Resources
Nearby Accommodations
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Featured Images and Nearby Attractions
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Visitor Comments:
Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...No users have replied to the content on this page
Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...
Smoo Cave April 6, 2009 11:51 am - A small, but elegant waterfall plunging into a cave just outside the village of Durness on Scotland's north coast. The cave itself is actually the inside of a cliff which is entered from the beach, where the ocean washes up inside a gorge. The gorge and the seafront alone would be worth the visit, but… ...Read MoreNearest Waterfalls
