RESEARCH TIDBIT
Smoo Cave
Smoo
Cave, called Smûga by the Norse (which means
hole or hiding place), is found on the north-west
coast
of Scotland in the area known as Sutherland. It
is partially a sea cave and a karst cave, carved
into the cliffs by the action of the sea and a river
which eroded holes into the limestone and dolostone
over eons. The opening of the cave to the sea is
the largest in all of Britain. There has been archeological
evidence from a variety of time periods from the
Stone Age forward showing that humans have lived
in it. Viking artifacts have been uncovered and
even Sir Walter Scott visited the cave in 1814.
The cave is believed to have been much larger, covering
much of the inlet, but time and water has worn it
away until it is as it stands now.
I
found Smoo Cave by accident while researching for
this story. As I wrote the end of A
STORM OF PASSION, I learned that the second
brother lived by the sea, in a large cave that opened
to the north towards Orkney. In trying to find if
such a location existed, I found references to Smoo
Cave and, while in Scotland in 2009, I was able
to visit the cave. It is wildly-fascinating—huge,
made of many chambers, with a waterfall and river
running through it from its source to the sea. Because
of heavy rains in the preceding weeks, the waters
were too high to allow the boat tour of the back
chamber. (I feel another trip coming on….!)
And when I stood between the crashing waterfall
and the opening of the cave to the sea, I could
hear very little except the near-deafening sounds
of the rushing water.
It was perfect! There were chambers of different
sizes that went back into the limestone—some
damp and cold, some dryer but still cold! There
were ‘blowholes’ in the ceiling, open
to the ground above. Exactly as I’d seen in
my mind for the place where Gavin seeks refuge,
so I took lots of photos and used them to describe
the cave in A STORM OF PLEASURE. I just love it
when real history works out the way I want and need
it to for my stories!
*
If you find yourself in the northwest
of Scotland, follow the road from Ullapool, north
through Assynt and Durness, past the John Lennon
Memorial, to Smoo Cave. In addition to seeing some
of the most spectacular scenery you’ll ever
see, you can drive for miles without seeing another
car. . or truck. . .or sheep! The cave is well-worth
the trip!
*thanks to www.smoocave.org
for the schematic drawing of the cave’s chambers.
