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Storm Cave

Assynt, Traligill, dry streamway NW of Cuil Dubh, Sutherland.

A flood sink for Cuil Dubh, Storm Cave lies at west edge of series of large interconnected shakeholes some 120 m north of Cuil Dubh Sink. The entrance was in 2005 a spacious rectangular crawl walled on east with moraine and peat. An obvious low route ahead led [indirectly] to the main chamber. Subsequent collapses in flood conditions have widened the entrance crawl and left it open to daylight. The entrance to the cave is now directly into what was once a connecting passage leading straight towards the main chamber. To the north of the entrance (at the north end of the original slot) an unstable rocky chamber goes nowhere but in very wet weather is one or the many sources of water entering the cave (probably from the small sink to the southeast).

Two muddy flat-out crawls on left, pinch out in peat blocked terminations. Rock floored crawl on right dips gently for some 5 m before doubling back sharply. Crawling continues in a comfortable if muddy passage with a choice of exits on the right hand side. Straight ahead the at the end some 35 m in banks of silt choke off the route but an obvious opening to the right ascends steeply over an enormous block of breakdown to open into spacious void sloping steeply to the north [down at 45 degrees to north]. Massive deposits of black peat make for slippery going. Main chamber measures some 25 m in width and 32 m length and is an impressive feature so close to the plateau's main sink point. Halfway down the east wall an awkward crawl from the entrance passage emerges. By crossing to west wall [where low crawl from entrance emerges] spacious active streamway is encountered, water issuing from low (sumped?) point to left. 40 m of easy going ends in wider passage also sloping steeply up to right and peat [silt] covered. Water flows into sump pool (probed to -5 m without air space) Immaturity of stream exits results in wildly different water levels, and in very wet conditions, cave fills from below and entrance submerged by water overflowing from Cuil Dubh. From main chamber tight hole between boulders halfway up east side gives access to 20 m of stooping passage before arriving over deep pool. May be associated with main inlet from Cuil Dubh. Passage too tight to follow.

[When first found a 10 m long, 1.5-2 m deep open slot running south to north led to a 1.5 m drop into a north-south bedding plane. This section appears to have collapsed (c. late 2015 - early 2015) leaving an open entrance to the bedding plane (which appear as two parallel crawls). At the north end of the open rift, a clamber over unstable boulders leads into a 1.5-2 m diameter chamber. It is obvious further flooding will reshape the entrance. The rock floored crawl previously on right of 2nd crawl (originally turning left from drop at entrance) now, with entrance wider and deeper, lies straight ahead to left under overhanging slab perpendicular to open slot.]

Alternate Names: Doineann (Uamh an)

Notes: First explored by GSG January 2005.

Hydrographic Feeds: Cuil Dubh Sinks

Hydrographic Resurgences: River Traligill