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Calman (Uamh na) [Brora]

Brora, Caithness.

From this place we descended to the Brora, where to the west of the bridge is a beautifull natural cave opening to the river. We then went a little way to the south-west, to what is called the Dals, [the Doll] which is a most beautifull bason of a lake that has been drained, with an island in the middle of it. The flat is entirely covered with corn. [Pococke]

The cave was named as 'Uai na Calman'. [Petrified Oysters]

Alternative Names: Uai na Calman, Uamh na Calman, Calman (Uaimh na), Uaimh na Calman, Dove (Cave of the), cave of the Doves, Pigeons (Cave of the), Cave of the Pigeons

Notes: Initially thought to be a sea cave possibly be far south as Strathsteven where there are caves marked on the OS Map (see Gillander's Cave). However, Pococke's description gives the cave entrance opening onto the (Brora) river. This seemed to conflicts with the coordinates in the original database entry (with the cave supposedly opening onto the mouth of the Dornoch Firth (and the North Sea) and the river further to the northeast). This could have been a result of changes in the course of the river over time but the earliest OS map shows a cave on the river just inland of Brora Bridge confirming Pococke's description. This cave may have been lost under the modern A9. Its site was close to the location of the Brora War Memorial. Pococke's island may be the path of woodland inland of the railway at Inverbrora (Castle Hill).

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None