De avonturen van Draakje en zijn vrienden: Smoo cave and a tiny road

Last night after diner we went to the local pub for a beer and to play some pool. It was a close call, but in the end Tanguy turned out to be the better player.

Yellow to side pocket

This morning we had a slow start after an ichy night. The midges found out that I had not put repellent on my thighs and buttocks, so they had a little party. Therefore I couldn’t get to sleep because of al the ichy bites. Nevertheless I did get some sleep.

After a chocolate croissant from Cocoa Mountain for breakfast we left the campsite around 12.30. First stop was the supermarket and after that we drove the whole mile to Smoo Caves.

Exploring around the Smoo Caves

Entrance into the Smoo Caves

Main entrance to Smoo Caves

We did a small tour with a very funny guide trough the cave. This cave is special because it has two chambers above each other. The upper one is made by the river, the one below bij the sea. There have been living people in this caves some 7000 years ago. They found the remains of their meals inside the caves. We found some stonified bones as well.

There are also a lot of stray boulders which were pushed by the ice during the Ice Age when the area was a huge glacier. The ice was 1,6 km high and these boulders were on the bottom of the ice pushed forward when the glacier moved. In that time Scotland was still part of the large continent consisting of what would become Africa, New Zealand, Australia an America.

Of course I had to touch one of these boulders, the olthest thing I will ever touch, 3 billion years old 😳.

3 Billion year old boulders

Then we took the tour inside the cave by foot and by boat. They are still exploring new parts of it.

Peddling through the cave

Dripping stone

Natural bridge halfway the cave

These little plants were captured inside the caves’s stone for 5500 years. When the cave was discovered and lights were installed, they started to grow.

After visiting the cave we did a litle hike up the cliff. The cave is at the end of a sea arm caved out of the rocks.

The shore line is split open towards the entrance of Smee Caves

We left the Smoo caves behind us to follow the Single trach road further east. The road went around Loch Eriboll and gave us beautiful views of the surroundings.

Many sheep aling and on the road

Just after the litle town of Hope (3 houses I think) we turned right, off the main road onto an even smaller road wich goes through Straight More valley and past Ben Hope, the highest Munro up north. We give it a try tomorrow, see if we can climb it.

Ben Hope 927m

Beautifull little road

But first we stopped by this old Broch called Dun Dornaigil, a ruin of a round house build 2300 years ago in the iron age. Back then it must have been impressive, about five floors high. Now it is still 6,7 meters high, you can just see the upper stone of what used to be the entrance.