Uamh na h-Acrach (NE)

A fairly large, and wide (~10 m) mouthed cave in the NW facing geo marked with the above name on current and 1st Ed OS. The given location is in the NE wall of the geo, which if correct, has the tunnel running about NE. See photos 2 & 3.

[This is the largest of 3 caves in the geo - but N Feilden is unsure of the relation between them as he did not make a sketch or measure tunnel directions on 12/8/26 when the photos were taken.]

A pretty large creek, about 1/2 a mile south from Kirtomy Point. Signification: Cave or Creek of the Anchor. [OS Namebook]

Alternative Names: Uamh na h- Achrach, Uamh na h-Acraichte, Cave of the Anchor, Creek of the Anchor

Notes: Access: by sea NE from Kirtomy harbour (fairly steep path down) or E from Skerray Harbour.

The BGS overlay shows a granite intrusion parallel to the geo and about 26 m NE of that side of the geo - see screenshot below. If the cave length is more than this, then some of the tunnel could be into the granite.

Uamh is the Gaelic word for cave, but in some instances it has been used to describe inlets. [Iain Greig]

'na' means 'of the' . 'h-' is added where a vowel would otherwise follow which produces an inappropriate conjunction in Gaelic. Visually, this gives separation. Phonetically, 'h-' indicates lentition or aspiration meaning a breathy gap. the 'h-' is not sounded and the the final 'ch' is a harsh ending as in 'loch' hence [phonetically] - oo-av or wav na cra-ckh. The meaning would seem to be 'Acrach' - genative singular of 'Acair' - thus a cave belonging to or 'of the' Anchor rather than 'of the' Anchors whereas 'acrach' an alternative meaning meaning would be 'hungry persons' plural which would require 'nan' rather than 'na h-' . [John Crae - Gaelic grammar dubious and pronunciation worse, so please correct me if I got it wrong.]

Links and Resources:

OS 25k background mapping.
OS 6" map, 1903, Suthertland Sheet IX. Link
Photo 1 shows the top part of the entrance of this cave from near the entrance to the geo - which faces NNW. There is no sign of the entrance to this cave in this photo. 12/8/26.
Photo 2 entrance from fairly close. 12/8/26. Note that the cliff appears illuminated by sunshine which would not be the case if at the end of the geo. Tide level 1.2 m ACD calculated from photo time of 13:41. High tide 4.4 at 08:48; low 1.0 at 14:29 from Tides4Fishing. But the tide level in Kirtomy harbour was a lot lower than when NF set out - so low may have been later.
Photo 3 inside with a large boulder beach 40-50 m inside just visible. Lit with a flood light. 12/8/26.
Photo 4 a bit further in. I did not see the end - so the cave is probably longer. 12/8/26.
Google Aerial showing the geo going in more than 100 m from the NW. The cliffs at the end of it rise to at least 80 m asl. The cave entrances are marked with green pins. This one is NE.
Google Aerial with BGS overlay. The pale grey is the Loch Coire Formation - gneissose pelite.
OS map, 1963, NC76NE & part of NC76NW - A, Surveyed / Revised: 1960 to 1962, Published: 1963. Link
Scotland's People, Vitual Volumes, OS Namebook, OS1-33-20/24. Link requires Registration & Log-in.

This entry was last updated: 2026-09-04 19:08:05

Errors or omissions in this information? Submit corrections/additions/comments for this entry to the registrars.

NGR:	NC 74810 65206
WGS84:	58.55683, -4.15332
Length:	60 m
Vert. Range:	15 m
Altitude:	-1 m
Geology:	Loch Coire Formation - gneissose semipelite
Tags:	Cave, SeaCave
Registry:	main

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