The summation of today is caves and waves.
Most days I have been quite relaxed about what we wanted to see and happy to just see where we got to, but today was the one trip I had really been hoping we managed to get to do. There was always doubt though as it was dependent on the weather and in particular if it was raining too much it would not run. This was because the tour is of Smoo Cave and even a small amount of rain can cause the cave to flood. The cave was about an hour’s drive from our last campsite and so we set off in hope but also in standard Scottish misty drizzle. Whilst misty for a lot of the drive as seen in the photo below there were still many stunning viewpoints on route.
The Smoo Cave is unique within the United Kingdom as it’s the only cave complex that has been formed by the action of the sea at the outermost chamber and then by freshwater passage rainwater dissolving the carbonate dolomites in the inner chambers. Whilst only the top section above the water level can be seen on the tour, archaeological evidence suggests that the cave was once home to Stone Age inhabitants up to 12 metres lower than the waterline today.
Thankfully the tour was running and Paloma was just old enough and had a big enough head to fit in the hard hats so was allowed to join us on the trip. Once we had reassured her that the cave was not full of bats, like her older brother had told her it was, she was also brave enough. The tour involved a short boat ride on a large dinghy and when we all had to duck to get under the bridge and some other low parts of the cave it was clear why any rising water levels would mean that the tour couldn’t go ahead. The tour itself was really interesting learning about the history and geology of the cave and local area and the kids really enjoyed making fire sparks by banging two pieces of chert together.
Once back out of the cave they explained the current work they are doing on the ‘New Dig’ and looking at the size of the entrance to this I don’t fancy touring that any day soon!
As the next campsite allowed an early check in we headed straight there to set up and have lunch. This has got to be the best view from the wagon we have had so far with the beach straight in front of the windscreen.
Despite the beach on our doorstep we had another location to visit first making the short walk up to Balnakeil and in particular Cocoa Mountain where according to the guidebooks they sell some of the best hot chocolate in the world. With two hot chocolate loving kids we have been to several establishments making this claim and whilst this hot chocolate was good I think their claim is a tad hyperbolic. It was a very good tasting hot chocolate but the venue had more of a truck stop vibe and the drinks were served in takeaway cups which wasn’t quite the experience I had been expecting. We then had a quick look around the craft village onsite (which is actually an old uncommissioned MOD early warning station) before heading back to the campsite.
Another reason for getting to site early today was to get some washing done so while Matt and the kids went down to the beach I got to test out the laundry. As exciting as that was I will leave you in suspense and pass you over to Matt for the beach exploits…
As you can see from the photo above from the windscreen, whilst we’re overlooking the beach we’re also up at the top of the cliff, so the first job was to find a way down. Once we’d found a path that looked passable for three kids and the two dads we headed for the sea, that like yesterday, was some way out at low tide. Looking out now, the rock that we used for our bag and shoes well clear of the water, is being lashed by waves so this area is very tidal and I could imagine it would be quite easy to get caught out in the many different coves along this northern coastline.
The kids only had one plan for today and that was to play some more with Matty’s bodyboard. They were surprisingly good at taking it in turns, Forrest was his usual fearless self often getting thrown off by the bigger waves, and Paloma after a steady start in the shallow water by the end was heading out quite some way to be brought back in by the waves. As you can see from the photos they had a great time, I’m sure almost as much fun as Amber had in the laundry room…
I (Amber) am now writing this with a beer in hand and watching the waves crash on the beach outside my window and almost regretting that we have to move on again tomorrow.
Blogged by Amber (and Matt).
