A Hidden Sea Cave In Scotland Is A Natural Marvel With Majestic Underground Waterfalls

When it comes to tourist destinations, Scotland is best known for its gorgeous Highlands region, its scenic lochs, and its cultural centers in cities like Edinburgh. What travelers don't associate Scotland with is seaside attractions. But while Scotland's climate doesn't lend itself to warm, sunny beach vacations, Scotland is still part of the island of Great Britain (and has many islands of its own). This means that Scotland does have many underrated seaside attractions worth a visit between your Highland tours and your stops at Scotland's famous distilleries. 

Among its many coastal attractions, Scotland has little-known islands with sandy beaches that make for a surprising escape from the country's colder northern climate. The various beaches and island chains off the Scottish coast offer excellent opportunities for kayaking, boating, and hiking along Scotland's unique coastal landscape. And if you look hard enough, you just might find some amazing natural marvels lying along Scotland's coastline. 

One such marvel is the incredible Smoo Cave. Despite its somewhat funny name, Smoo Cave is an enchanting and geologically unique natural wonder and one of the most underrated destinations in Scotland. With deep caverns, intricate waterways, and spectacular underground waterfalls, Smoo Cave is a one-of-a-kind stop on any trip along Scotland's northern Highlands.  

Smoo Cave lies within the limestone cliffs along the coast of Sutherland, a historic county in Scotland's far north where the Highlands meet the North Atlantic. The world has many beautiful sea caves, but few of them display such an intricate combination of breathtaking sights and distinctive geology. Like other sea caves, Smoo Cave's impressive 50-foot high entrance passage and first chamber were formed by the tempestuous waters of the North Atlantic. But after enough time gawking at the magnificent, 200-foot-long first chamber, a wooden walkway takes visitors into a second chamber to see a different side of the already impressive cave. 

What makes Smoo Cave so unique is how it formed from both seawater and freshwater sources. Unlike the first chamber, Smoo Cave's second chamber was not formed by the sea, but rather by the Allt Smoot River. This rare combination of seawater and freshwater passages in one cavern system makes Smoo Cave arguably the most unique cave in the United Kingdom. The second chamber's freshwater origins also create Smoo Cave's most impressive feature: a roaring, 60-foot high waterfall where the Allt Smoo cascades down an aboveground sinkhole. The cave's main walkway ends at the waterfall, though you may be able to access an additional third chamber via boat. 

For thousands of years, the cave has served as a makeshift dwelling for the various peoples living nearby. Around a thousand years ago, the cave was used by Vikings for shelter and storage (the name "Smoo" comes from the Old Norse word Smuga, which means "hiding place"). When you visit Smoo Cave today, you won't just be exploring a magnificent natural wonder. You'll be stepping into history as well!

Smoo Cave is located in the small, seaside village of Durness, in the Sutherland region of Scotland's northern Highlands. Though it may seem a bit out of the way, Durness and Sutherland County as a whole are great stops to make on a North Coast 500 Scotland road trip. Even without the Smoo Cave, Sutherland is a worthwhile destination with scenic coastlines, historic villages, and some of the last true wildernesses in Europe. 

Smoo Cave is accessible from a small parking lot off the A838 road. From the parking area, a wooden staircase will take you down to the coastal inlet, where you'll find a bridge to the mouth of the cave and the seaside first chamber. The first and second chambers are connected by a series of walkways, where you can explore the cave on a self-guided walking tour up to the second chamber's main waterfall. Access to the cave's walkways is free of charge and open year-round. 

If you want to explore beyond the waterfall into the secret third chamber, you might be able to reserve a boating tour if conditions are right. Smoo Cave boating tours are available between April and October, on days when the water levels are low enough to allow the boats to enter the third chamber. Tickets for the tour cost around $19 for adults and around $6 for children. Regardless of how you explore Smoo Cave, you'll come away with the thrill of knowing you experienced one of the world's most exclusive caving adventures!