New Dig at Smoo Cave
|
In September 2012 we finally got permission to attempt to find a new cave inside the main chamber after submitting an archaeological report (click here to view). The cave is a scheduled Scottish monument and consent had to given by Historic Scotland .
In the south east corner of the main chamber there exists a large flow stone from which exits a small stream - this is the entrance to the dig. A tunnel is presently being dug towards an obvious fault line. So far we have dug 17 metres following the direction of the fault line B. |
|
NEW DIG UPDATE WINTER 2021/2022
|
|
|
After a good start to the digging season back in November progress was going well with the help of Smoo Cave guide Aaron. Things came to an abrupt halt in December when a large rock landed on my left hand. With my hand on the mend time has caught up with us and we are now getting ready for the new season. We fitted new spotlights in the cave at the end of last season which look spectacular and have really improved the visibility of the features inside the cave. We are also building a new reception for this season and have new signs arriving shortly. Hope to see you all soon in the cave. Remember to wear sensible footwear if you are wanting to come on the tour.
|
March '20
It's been a challenging wet winter with a huge amount of water entering the cave over the winter months. On the days I've managed to dig, around 120kg of spoil has been removed (6 smoogies). Every week a new amount of mud and debris (around 20kg) that has been washed in has to be removed. It's been slow going but things have moved that bit faster due to the GSG dinner being held in Durness this year.
June '19
|
|
|
|
This year started off with a very dry April and May with next to no rain and lots of wild fires in the Sutherland area. Since the start of June the weather has taken a turn for the worse. It seems as though we have had more days off than days on due to high amounts of rainfall and strong South Westerly winds. We have been trying to make full use of the days when we are unable to run the tours by digging in the New Dig.
We have a new addition to the "Smoo Crew" who goes by the name of Claire Lee, a 3rd year Geoscience student from Aberdeen University. Claire has been a great addition to the team with her knowledge and can do attitude. Claire and I have spent multiple days in the New Dig, reaching our daily target of 260 kilos or 13 "smoogies". Here is hoping the weather improves as this is the time of year we much prefer to be taking tours rather than working in the dig. To get up to date info on whether the tours are running call 01971 511492 which is updated each morning at 9.30am. |
February '19
We get lots of questions about how big the New Dig is and what it is like to be inside. If you are interested you can click on this link to see what is like. The Beluga Lagoon Film crew were brave enough to spend an afternoon in the New Dig with me in February and included it in their film "The Coast". This beautifully shot film of the Scottish Coast can be accessed through the link below. At approx. 42mins you will see fantastic footage from inside the dig.
1st January '18
Against all the odds, digging began on New Years Day, with six smoogies removed from around the fault zone, made more difficult by a large, hard rock present in the path of the dig, which I believe was deposited there before the surrounding material. In the photos below, to the left of new recruit Marks' leg, you will see the drillbit of the borehole we are drilling in order to determine how much deeper the cavity below is from the dig. Each time we go to dig, we drill slightly further down this hole, with the intention that soon the borehole will break into the cavity beneath, giving us a measurement of the distance remaining.
|
|
17th December '17
We've had a little bit of bad weather here lately- Storm Caroline led to some damage to the path into the cave- see latest News. Digging was making great progress, and we dug out 30 'smoogies' (1 smoogie=25kg) which has resulted in a further 0.50 mtr depth to the fault/corrosion zone.
Drilling with a 1 meter long drillbit, we have ben doing some core sampling, and have realised that we have at least another meter of hard digging ahead of us. However, we are well up for it, and looking forwards to attacking the cave with some serious attitude in 2018- Watch this space.
We really appreciate your continued interest, and want you to know that we are going to 'Keep on Diggin'! We would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, and all the best for 2018!
Drilling with a 1 meter long drillbit, we have ben doing some core sampling, and have realised that we have at least another meter of hard digging ahead of us. However, we are well up for it, and looking forwards to attacking the cave with some serious attitude in 2018- Watch this space.
We really appreciate your continued interest, and want you to know that we are going to 'Keep on Diggin'! We would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, and all the best for 2018!
|
|
|
|
|
|