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Lower Traligill Cave

Assynt, Traligill, SW of Glenbain, below waterfall, Sutherland.

This is the main sink for the for the River Traligill from Gleann Dubh and is located at a prominent bend in the Traligill Valley at head of a seasonally dry section above Traligill Rising. In wet weather the cave overflows and resurges rapidly flooding valley below. Water levels in cave vary considerably.

The entrance is visible from some distance from the Glenbain track, low and wide, below a broad arch floored with gravel and boulders. This sumps in wet weather barring access to the entire cave.

The caves is developed into two interconnecting levels along the strike of the Traligill Main Thrust (dipping to the SW at 30 degrees). The lower series is normally flooded but in extremely dry conditions can be followed 50 m to a point where water vanishes into a tight slot on the right. This point is the confluence with subterranean drainage from Cnoc nan Uamh which enters from the left and may be followed upstream some distance to a sump.

The upper series follows a rising passage to the left a few metres inside entrance. After 10 m, this levels off, opening out into 30 m of pleasantly decorated chambers containing numerous small and somewhat muddy helictites, columns and straws. The passage lowers and widens and 30 m of crawling leads to a sharp right turn where a stooping height muddy tube descends down dip to an upstream sump. Part way down this tube, a crawl to the right leads back to the lower series. Although the water level in the sump pool varies considerably, a roomy descent down the thrust plane soon reaches an underwater junction where the main flow is encountered. Downstream has been dived inconclusively for 10 m but the upstream passage follows the bottom of a roomy thrust plane for 30-40 m (route finding is complicated by floor trenches and projections making progress cautious).

In high water , the line surfaces in the 'Scotch Mist' air bell where a further short dive or duck (depending on water levels) leads to the end of the sump. In low water, the exit pool appears long and oval with a circular chamber (Scotch Mist) off to left. From the end of the pool, a vast inclined thrust plane leads off along the strike. At floor level, an aqueous flat out crawl in the stream can be pursued 30 m to where water cascades down from a higher level. In low water, this could be pushed further upwards for 20 m possibly to a high level overflow route with scalloped floor. Horizontal progress for 15 m over cobbles leads to a descending trench where a squeeze gains a further section of thrust plane, too tight after 20 m. The thrust plane is up to 15 m wide at the top of which a series of low bedding plane grottoes filled with straws and helictites lead of towards 'Northern Lights' region of Cnoc nan Uamh. Choked with mud and speleothems.

Alternate Names: Traligill Cave (Lower)

Notes: Warning: The entrance can sump rapidly in wet weather. Do not descend if rainfall is taking place or imminent.

The cave was first explored by SUMCC in 1947. The upstream sump was passed by the GSG in 1985 and pushed to current limit by GSG in 1993.

Previously there has been some confusion with Waterfall Rising. Check following references for relevance to Waterfall Rising or Lower Traligill Cave. Lower Traligill Cave seems more likely.

Hydrographic Feeds: Cnoc nan Uamh

Hydrographic Resurgences: River Traligill