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Mhor (Uamh) [Knockan]

Assynt, Knockan, Sutherland.

Pothole entrance to Uamh Tartair. In dry weather can be reached via the streamway from the Uamh Tartair entrance otherwise requires SRT kit or ladders to descend from the heath above.

Follow track from the east side of Knockan hamlet until the stream bed of the Abhainn a'Chnocain is reached. Walk up to the skyline via the west side of this river, passing a huge doline on-route. When level ground is reached, a large vertical shaft, Uamh Mhor [Big Cave], will be seen. It is 20m deep and is better accessed by walking down to the stream valley to the left where in normal conditions water races down a thrust plane below an angled cliff. This is the entrance to Uamh an Tartair. [CNCC]

Passing through 10m of comfortable stream passage, water flows away to the left and is normally sumped. Straight ahead is a low, uncomfortable rocky crawl opening into the foot of Uamh Mhor [in wet weather this crawl may be impassable]. Having regained the stream, follow it across the shaft floor into a narrow vertical fissure which is penetrated for 75m, with some scrambling over or under wedged boulders. At the end of the fissure, there is a 5m pitch. A long belay back upstream is required for a short ladder climb. At the foot, easy going rapidly descends into a thrust plane where, in dry conditions, it may be possible to slide down 10m to a small sump pool. After continual rainfall, the cave will be sumped to the top of the pitch and may be impassable even further up the fissure.

The length and direction of this cave passage takes it under the large blind shake hole on the surface, north-west of the Uamh Mhor pothole entrance.

Alternative Names: Uamh Mhor, Big Cave, Uamh an Tartair

Notes: See also Uamh an Tartair [Elphin].

One of many 'big' caves dotted around Scotland. As Uamh can also be translated as grave (burial mound) or as any large hole do not always expect to find a cave.

Near Uamh Mhor, the Moine Thrust cuts across a third major thrust fault known as the Uamh Mhor Thrust. The Uamh Mhor Thrust has brought Cambrian quartzite on to the top of the slightly younger Cambrian Durness limestone but has been deformed by faulting in the underlying limestone. The quartzite is well exposed on Cnoc a' Choilich Mor (Figure 1) and is faulted in a similar 'imbricate' way to the Durness limestone. The Uamh Mhor Thrust can be clearly seen at Creag a' Ghlinne on the eastern edge of the SSSI. [SNH]