Go to the Main Scottish Cave and Mine Database Search Page

Loch Borralie Cave

Durness, Loch Borralie, Sutherland.

A freshwater cave midway up a cliff overlooking Loch Borralie. 20m of tight muddy crawl (classic keyhole passage within dolomitic limestone) ends at a 'chamber' barely large enough to turn around in, saving an awkward feet-first return leg.

Alternate Names: Lesser Northern Egg Timer, Egg Timer

Notes: Removable grating is in place across the entrance to prevent wildlife entering the cave, introduced after a badger was encountered at close-quarters within, and entrails became common after use by other mammals (probably stoats or weasels).

Colin Coventry discovered this cave in 1992 when it was no more than 1m long and after some careful digging through peat and silt, it is now 20m.

This is an archaeological dig of national significance. So far the cave has yielded remains of human (ancient of course), wolf, pig, deer, wildcat, suspected hyena but most crucially the oldest lynx ever discovered in Scotland at 7258 +/- 24 years old!

Andrew Kitchener of the National Museums of Scotland has money to do 5 more radiocarbon dating tests on bones found in the cave. The next materials to be carbon dated will be the bones of a human, a wolf, a pig and 2 other unidentified mammals (as of yet). See Mar 24 Bulletin for some of these dates.

Following the uncovering of bones at the site, which occured at a similar time to discovery of the bone-bearing chamber in Uamh an Claonaite that was named 'The Great Northern Time Machine', the original discoverer (CC) facetiously named this site 'Lesser Northern Egg Timer'. Whilst the name 'Loch Borralie Cave' was introduced for the purposes of scientific articles, 'Egg Timer' still receives frequent use.

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None