Potholing Adventures on Skye

In June we paid a visit to Spar Cave on the Strathaird Peninsula on Skye. Settled conditions allowed us to anchor off the narrow inlet which hid the entrance and excitement built as our intrepid crew headed ashore in the tender, headtorches at the ready to explore the Cave's hidden depths. 

 In the 18^th Century, the Cave had been a fashionable destination for well-heeled Victorian tourists, drawn north to the area by Sir Walter Scott's poem “The Lord of the Isles” in which he wrote of a mermaid who 'bathes her limbs in sunless well, deep in Strathaird's enchanted cell... where dazzling spars gleam like a firmament of stars'.

The “spars” referred to in the poem, gave the Cave its popular name, but its true Gaelic title is Slochd Altrimen, or Nursing Cave. This dates from the ninth century when a local princess fell in love with the son of the chief of Colonsay who was shipwrecked on the Strathaird coast. Unfortunately the fathers of the young lovers were sworn enemies and when she gave birth to a child, the baby was concealed in the cave to ensure its survival until the feud was settled.

As we approached the Cave entrance we passed the moss covered remains of the wall built by one-time landowner, Alexander MacAllister, to keep out the unwelcome Victorian visitors. It was eventually destroyed by cannon fire from a disgruntled passing sailor.   

Once inside the cave, our head torches lit up the glistening, marble-like Spar or Flowstone (Calcium Carbonate) which covered the surfaces and the huge columns formed by centuries of water dripping through the limestone. Once upon a time stalactites hung from the high ceiling, but these were taken as souvenirs by the aforementioned Victorian sightseers.  The staining from their candles and torches can still be seen on the roof.  


After a nerve racking scramble up the steep flowstone staircase, which despite initial qualms had surprisingly good grip, we marvelled at the strange rock formations and watery pools which emerged from the darkness around us. The floor levels out at the top of the staircase to descend a short while later to the deep pool featured in Scott’s poem.  This marks the end of the cave. We didn't linger much longer – time, tide (and torch batteries) wait for no man - so we formed an orderly (well, there were a few shrieks resulting from the water dripping down our necks) queue and went backwards (literally) down the staircase.  

As we emerged, from this secret underground world, blinking in the late afternoon sunshine, we were surprised to see that the world was as we had left it.  Filled with a real spirit of adventure, we made our way back to Moonshadow with magical images of swimming mermaids in sparkling pools filling our thoughts. 


Share this adventure with us in the following video:

May Cruises 2011

Despite an unusually wet and windy May, Moonshadow's guests enjoyed some exhilarating sailing, beautiful sunsets and close encounters with some of our local wildlife.   

Seals, Canna

Sunset, Sound of Mull

Chocolate and tulips

Dolphins off Ardnamurchan

Dolphins off Ardnamurchan

Minke (very far away!) off Rum

Calm waters

Kingairloch