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Ossicular Hole

Schiehallion, NW of Trinafour, Meall Dail-chealach, Perthshire.

A rather squalid entrance, floored with heavy duty polythene bags containing sheep carcasses. Entire entrance 'chamber' filled with substantial heaps of bones & damp, humus-like material probably remains of soft decomposition. To left 2 voids quickly choked off with earth. Way on to right, down noxious slope into a triangular passage some 3 m long. End pinched out by boulders, but water heard below & to left. Digging not attractive.

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: From Calvine on A9, follow B847 to Trinafour. Turn right & drive N up un-designated tarmac road (General Wade's Military Road) past Loch Errochty & substantial dam to W. After steep Z-bends road levels and small lake seen adjacent to left side of road. This is Maud Loch, created by an earth dam, where cars may be parked off the road. Alternatively (for slightly faster approach), proceed N on A9 until Drumochter dual carriageway. Turn for Trinafour signposted almost at once & loch lies some four miles down road. By walking across dam & skirting small hillock beyond, outcrops of limestone soon seen. Access from this point made easier by rough vehicular track. Walk NW until, about ½ km onwards, single wooden post stands as marker. Just beyond is shallow valley running W & about 80 m up this a stream sink (more limestone may be found beyond immediate hillsides). 3rd shake from sink contains open entrance.

Nov 2008 - length update.

Briefly revisited on weekend of GSG Annual Dinner 2017. No change at entrance (and no underground investigation). Possible that this the upstream end of a more recent find called 'Little Rock'.