| Smoo Cave Cape Wrath Durness NC8393 |
Smoo Cave is a limestone cavern consisting of three chambers, a burn enters the second chamber through a hole in the roof falling for a distance of 80 feet.
The cave is said to be the entrance to the otherworld, and has 2 legends associated with it. The first relates to a piper who goes into the cave playing and is never seen again. The legend is very common in Scotland, and usually denotes an entrance into the fairy realm.
The second tale relates to Lord Reay, a famous wizard from the local area. While the wizard was in Rome studying the black arts, the Devil is said to have stolen his shadow while trying snatch his soul. The wizard was exploring the first cavern with his pet dog on his return from Rome, when his dog went forward into the second cavern, let out a yelp, and came running back hairless.
The wizard knew that the Devil lay in wait in the cavern to claim his soul, but just as the wizard was about to accept his fate, the first rays of sunlight filtered into the cave and a cock crowed, heralding the new dawn. The Devil, and three witches with him, blasted out through the roof of the cavern to escape, leaving the hole where the water runs to create the waterfall.
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| Loch Na Naire |
This loch has long been seen as a healing loch, according to legend the loch received its powers from a magical healing stone belonging to a wise woman. A local lord wanted the stone for his own purposes and chased her into the loch. When she would not relinquish her prize or come out of the waters, he had her stoned to death where she stood. The water is said to have absorbed the magic of the healing stone.
The actual powers of the loch where said to be the strongest on the 1st Monday of August, between 12.00 am 1.00am, which may have some relation to the Celtic festival of Lammas (Lughnasadh).
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