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Uamha na Creadha

Lovh Sunart, Camas Choire Mhuilinn, Argyllshire.

A small cave on the shore of Loch Sunart in "Camas Choire Mhuilinn".

Sig. [Signification] The Cave of the Clay. [Scotland's Places]

A cave in the cliff above the beach at Camas Choire Mhuilinn was recorded here during a field survey of part of the Ardnamurchan Estate on the N shore of Loch Sunart, North Argyll. A stone wall, 10m long, 0.8m wide and 1.5m high, was built across the front at some point to enclose a rectangular chamber, 10m by 4m. The cave is known as Uamha na Creada. [Canmore, J.G. Robertson, 2001]

The wood at Uamha na Creadha on the steep seaward slope of Ben Hiant is of a mixed deciduous type, mainly oak, but with a good deal of ash and hazel. Some of the trees are quite tall for an exposed west coast situation. The soils are base-rich brown loams derived from the crumbly calcareous basalt of which this hill is composed. The field layer is mainly of the Brachypodium sylvaticum type, with an abundance of Primula vulgaris, Senecio jacobaea and Teucrium scorodonia. The main interest of the wood is the profusion of large corticolous lichens (the Lobarion 104 Woodlands alliance) which richly clothe the tree trunks and limbs, e.g. Lobaria pulmonaria and L. laetevirens. This is another of the important lichen-rich woods of the Ardnamurchan-Sunart area. Close to the shore are damp, rocky gullies, and cliffs with caves of an old raised beach, and here there is a more varied flora with species such as Hypericum androsaemum, Polystichum aculeatum, Phyllitis scolopendrium, Hymeno- phyllum wilsonii and Marchesinia mackaii. [Scotland - Cultural Ecology]

Alternative Names: Cave of the Clay

Notes: The site includes a significant woodland along the west coast (notably the woods at Uamha na Creadha with oak, ash and hazel).