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Pol Eighe C

Assynt, Traligill, Glean Dubh, Sutherland.

One of several sites investigated while attempting to correct the coordinates for Pol Eighe.

In a small gulley, a stream resurges from a low tight bedding plane crawl which closes down after 4-6 m. A small chamber, 2 m in, allows turning. Water enters at right angles to the bedding plane and forms an inclined rift which is too small to enter. Above and to the left, a small crawl reaches another small chamber (continuing the inclined rift) going for 2 m before becoming too tight.

From this upstream rising, the water crosses 3 m of open shakehole (probably a collapse into a former passage) then sinks into a triangular rocky passage floored with flake breakdown (which may need to be removed to gain access to the cave).

Downstream, entered by dropping about 1 m through the triangular entrance, a passage slopes gently down into a wider section or small chamber where it is possible to turn around. The way on is through a small bedding plane, along a square cross-section passage about 1 m wide, 0.3 m high, on the left-hand side descending at about 10 degrees to a small chamber after 3 m. Beyond this is a narrow 0.3 - 0.4 m wide rift, best traversed sideways, which continues 7 m to a sharp left turn. The stream passage is too tight to follow and the way on is through a small eyehole to the left. This passes through an awkward Z-bend and 1 m in drops into a small pool which the stream enters from the right. A couple of eyehole cascades drop about 2 m into an low oval shaped chamber with a larger pool fed from a small inlet to the left where one can once more turn around. The water flows away into a very tight wet triangular crawl, a bedding plane floored with large blocks which make progress extremely difficult. The way on appears almost sumped and too narrow but (in 1974) no serious attempt was made to push further. At the right-hand side, rubble and gravel give way to a narrow rift running 4 m at right angles to the chamber. Halfway along is a 1.5 m drop; a tight squeeze, not to be attempted by larger cavers! The foot of this opens into a tiny triangular crawl. The rift becomes larger and 2 m on reaches another chamber with water coming in from high on the left. The stream drops 2 m into a tight rift which may be followed 3 m before becoming too tight. The way on at the foot of the lowest crawl appears almost sumped and too narrow, but no serious attempt has yet been made to push the cave further. In wet weather the cave stream appears to resurge down valley, at a point near the footpath. A short trip but very serious. Pol Eighe is not to be attempted lightly.

A blocked shakehole sink discovered 23 February 1974 by John Tillson, Pete Dowswell, Dick Grindley et al. returning from trip to Cnoc nan Uamh. Preliminary clearance by Dick Grindley. The group returned Saturday 6 July 1974.

After small amount of digging by Phil Barton and Pete Dowswell, the entrance was entrance opened up and 80 ft (24.5 m) of passage explored. John Tillson extended the passage Sunday 7 July 1974. On a further visit 3 Aug. 1974, John Tilllson, John Travail and Bob Shuttleworth failed due to wet conditions but mentioned two sink holes about 100 m to the north-west, the larger opened up allowing a small stream to sink under a large boulder. A passage was dug out to reach a small pool sump which was relieved to allow the stream to drain down a narrow fissure.

On 4 Aug 1974, Alan Jeffreys, Pete Dowswell and Phil Barton attempted to extend the passage but abandoned the dig in the final chamber.

On a digging trip on Saturday 24 May 1975, Alan Jeffreys, Pete Dowswell and J. Campbell, found a small drop into the 1st chamber had collapsed over the winter, raising the floor of the canal. It was too tight so they were unable to proceed beyond the mid point of the canal. They also investigated upper section of the passage and the sink below Pol Eighe, next to footpath.

Pol Eighe was Independently rediscovered by Malcolm McConville, 6 Oct. 2007 who found a hand to wellie connection through an eyehole to the surface.

Alternate Names: Eighe (Pol) Pol Eighe, File Pot, File Hole, Ice Hole, Pol Eigghe, Watertie (watertight) Hole

Notes: The order of discoveries may be confused. The main cave seems to be a rediscovery of Pol Eighe, with slightly different coordinates. Dye testing may be worthwhile. See also Pol Eighe (eyehole entrance) and (upper). Original co-ordinates (NC 26099 21460) from GSG & BCRA Bulletins place cave at approximately 220 m altitude, 25 m from top NW corner of L-shaped plantation but altitude given in the bulletins suggests the cave was much lower. The 'corrected' coordinates (NC 27040 21350) in 2008, in previous database, seem inaccurate and the altitude does not match the location. The revised coordinates (NC 27029 21289), are still provisional, but place the main cave at the right height. John Crae and Martin Hayes found a sink (3 m of rocky shakehole) matching the 1974 description approximately 30m below the fenceline (from the last tree in the main block not from corner of plantation as the upper edge of the plantation is much denuded). The coordinates approximately match those in Newsletter 132 but the distance & direction from the corner of the plantation is wrong. 10 m west of corner (& single tree) reaches the upper shakehole (matching the description of the shakehole discovered by Tillson, Travail & Shuttleworth).

Hydrographic Feeds: Surface run off and small stream on north side of Glen

Hydrographic Resurgences: Stream feeds eventually into Traligill River