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Valley Head Cave [upper entrance]

Skye, Torrin, Allt nan Leac, Invernessshire.

The longest cave on Skye, a sporting through trip. The upper entrance is above a grassy amphitheatre where the Allt nan Leac rises. A hole in the north side of a shallow dry valley, 25 m past a bouldery shakehole, before the obvious stream sink. The Sink Entrance (obvious) in the side of the sink depression. A tightish duck leads to an easy crawl into the downstream passage. After 20 m the Upper Entrance comes in on the left. A 2 m drop from the surface is followed by an earthy slide (if intending to exit this way check it is not blocked by boulders, The sink entrance is impassible in wet weather). Beyond, the stream cuts down through banded marbles and cherts. A small aven in the roof connects to the upstream end of the Roof Gallery. The easiest route to the gallery is a hole in roof before the 1st duck which leads to low crawls 10 m upstream and downstream. The stream passage drops into the 1st duck, an easy wallow through a pool in a low canal, 10 m long with roof pendants. Then the stream cascades over a solid rock floor (red garnet exposed) and the passage gains height. The Spiral Staircase (a series of short cascades) is soon reached, at its foot is a roomy boulder strewn chamber. On the left a loose slope leads to the Chute Route, an abandoned inlet to a shakehole in the dry valley above. Ascent leads to a junction, both branches very low. The streamway continues, with a brief crawl to a 0.6 m cascade into a waist deep pool. Easy walking to the head of the Waterslide, where the stream sluices down the inclined surface of an igneous dyke into another pool. Beyond, the stream follows the line of a dyke in the shattered rock beneath 'hanging death' with a roomy higher level glimpsed above. A short distance through a narrow section of rift then a 0.6 m drop to another waist deep pool, the Thrunge. The rift passage abruptly changes to a bedding plane floored by razor sharp chert ridges (the Spiky Hassocks). A slightly less painful crawl over the boulders beyond opens into easier passage and a 3 m climb down into Campanile Chamber, the largest cavern in system with a large boulder hanging from roof. 2 avens above the suspended block come close to a choked hole on the surface. (Digging might open a 11 m pitch). 3 routes downstream. A hole in the boulder floor leads to a wet crawl or 2 narrower holes at far end of chamber re-uniting with the streamway in a small chamber below a wet crawl. A route round a large fallen block leads to a wet bedding crawl and a 2nd duck, the limit of the 1975 exploration. Beyond is Anabaptist Series, a low canal with various short cross joints and alcoves then a small chamber with fallen blocks, a boulder choked aven and the Sump. In dry conditions, there is minimal airspace through the sump (an easy 1 m dive into a roomy chamber with waist deep water). In 1971, this was the limit of the lower Cave. Beyond, 166 m of descending passage was explored to within 20 m of the upstream sump in Uamh Cinn Ghlinn. The Sink entrance drops 2 m to pool.

A section of streamway (Uamh Ceann Mullach a' Ghlinne) dug into by University College of London Speleological Society, in 1972. Surveyed in 1973 by Peter Ryder & Nev Andrews (Bishop Aukland Caving Club/University of London Speleological Association) who pushed roof gallery (high level crawl above downstream sump) until too tight. In 1975, Graham Stevens (Moldywarps Speleological Group) dived sump to airspace & dug gravel bank to reduce sump to easy duck.

Alternative Names: Cinn Ghlinn (Uamh) [Upper Entrance], Uamh Cinn Ghlinn [upper entrance], Ceann Mullach a' Ghlinne (Uamh) [upper entrance]

Notes: For length and vertical range, see Cinn Ghlinn (Uamh) [Lower Entrance].

See also Uamh Cinn Ghlinn (Valley Head Cave).

Hydrographic Feeds: Allt nan Leac

Hydrographic Resurgences: Allt nan Leac