An impressive cave that is well-worth a visit, and if you believe the tale, is the home of a dragon.
Continue along the A836 (NC500) and you will soon see signs for Smoo Cave. Located next to the road, with a car park and public toilet, it is hard to miss.
This impressive cave is unique within British geology, in that it has been formed by both the action of water from above and from the sea beyond. Being formed from limestone, the water from the stream has created a sink hole, resulting in a 20 m high waterfall. From the car park, walk across the road to the viewing bridge where you can see the stream disappearing down the hole, under the natural rock bridge. Once it plunges into the hole, the water, over time, has created a complex chamber system of caves below, some of which can be viewed by taking a boat trip tour below.
Cross back over the road and take the steps down to the entrance of the cave at beach level. The steps are well-maintained but unsuitable for anyone with mobility issues. At the bottom of the steps you are in Geodha Smoo, a 600 m long tidal gorge, flanked on either side by steep cliffs. This used to be part of the cave but collapsed long ago to create the gorge. Then, unmissable, you will see the vast cave entrance. This 40 m wide, 15 m high cave entrance is the largest within the UK and has been carved out by years of sea action.
Cross the bridge and follow the route into the entrance of the cave and here you can cross a small covered footbridge a little further into the caves and see the bottom of the waterfall you saw disappearing from above. During tourist season, you can book yourself onto a boat tour to go deeper into the caves and here is where you get onto the boat.
Having come down on one side of the cave, it is worth taking the other set of steps up out of the gorge. Remember to stop to catch your breath and take a moment to look back at the cave as you go. At the top you can choose to walk further along the coastal cliff path or to turn back towards the road.
Along the route back to the road is a path that takes you over the cave and here you get a good view of the tidal gorge. It is worth noting that the sea only reaches the cave these days at very high tides due to the isostatic uplift of Scotland - rebounding after the weight of the ice-age glaciers melted.
This path takes you back to the car park via the information boards, which are definitely worth a read. Smoo the Dragon is a well-kept secret so don't expect to read anything about him here. Shhh
Notes for visitors with limited mobility:
There are disabled public toilets at the car park. Parts of the view can be enjoyed from above on wheelchair accessible hard surfaces but to see the cave, it is necessary to go up and down quite a lot of steps.