Caving in Scotland

With the weather not very conducive to winter mountaineering we decided to head further north and sample some of the caving Scotland has to offer. We left Glen Coe, picking up some supplies in Fort William, and stopping briefly at the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge.

Then we set off for Applecross, on the west coast of the Scottish mainland overlooking Raasay. The weather was fairly miserable and as we travelled across the mountain pass the fog descended. After a little bit of searching we found somewhere to park up for the night; overlooking Applecross bay and a short distance from the pub. We headed to the lovely local pub, with a roaring fire, for a slap up meal and a few local beers.

The next morning we were up early for a trip down Liar’s Sink (survey). It was only discovered recently in 2016, when some dry weather allowed the entrance to be dug out, revealing 600m of cave passage. It was a worthy trip, with some pretty formations and an interesting traverse towards the end to bypass the waterfall.

Next we headed towards the Grampian Caving Club Hut in Elphin, just north of Ullapool. We took the scenic route, along the North Coast 500 route, which although overcast and occasionally wet still offered some lovely views.

Unfortunately the boiler at the caving hut was broken, so no hot showers! We made do with a pan shower heated over the wood stove. It was nice to be indoors for a few days, and to be able to sit and cook in the warm.

One of the days we took a trip into Rana Hole, a good sporting trip with impressive cave at the far end.

We spent another day with a morning hike up Glas Bheinn; up and down the same route. It was a cold, blowy day with some fantastic views as the cloud lifted. In the afternoon we took the long way back, driving along the coast past golden beaches.

And then it snowed. Anya and Oli built some snowmen in the morning, but then we packed up and left for the Cairngorms hoping to catch some winter climbs in condition.