A Complete Guide to Visiting Spar Cave on the Isle of Skye – A Must Visit Sight on the Isle of Skye
Spar cave is an impressive historic cave located just outside of the village of Elgol on the Isle of Skye. The geographic formations on the cliffs surrounding spar caves are phenomenal and worth a visit on your trip to the Isle of Skye.
Spar Cave is often overlooked on an Isle of Skye itinerary, however if you are planning on visiting Elgol to go on one of the many boat trips that leave from this area, we would highly recommend squeezing this into your day too.
Spar Cave is only accessible at low tide and requires clambering over slippery boulders to reach, leaving it inaccessible to those with poor mobility.
A Guide to Visiting Spar Cave on the Isle of Skye
Spar Cave is a fascinating sight to see on the Isle of Skye, you can choose to admire the geological features from the rocks, or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can enter inside the cave. In this guide, we will discuss the best time to go to Lihou Island as well as the following
What is Spar Cave?
Where is Spar Cave?
How to get to Spar Cave?
Why Should I go to Spar Cave?
When Should I go to Spar Cave?
What is Spar Cave?
Spar Cave is a sight off the beaten path on the Isle of Skye that is relatively quiet in comparison to other sights on the Isle of Skye. In saying that, we would definitely recommend it as a sight that you should visit on your Isle of Skye itinerary.
The history of Spar Cave dates back to the 9th century where it is believed that a local princess fell in love with the son of the chief of Colonsay as he was shipwrecked on the Strathaird coast. They fell in love and she gave birth to his baby, despite their fathers hating each other. The princess hit with the baby in the cave until the feud was over to avoid her father finding out.
The Gaelic name for Spar Cave is Slochd Altimen, which means Nursing Cave. The name Spar Cave came from the white calcium carbonate that coats every surface of the tunnel into the cave.
You will need a head torch to enter into the cave, we found that just a phone torch alone wasn't strong enough.
Where is Spar Cave?
Spar Cave is located way out of the way from any of the other main tourist sights on the Isle of Skye. It is located outside of a small village called Glasnakeille near Elgol. There is no official sign posts in place for Spar Cave and if you hadn't heard about it you would never know it was there.
During the 19th century, the landowner built a wall to deter visitors and was charging entrance fees. Since then, a passing gunboat destroyed the wall and this magnificent sight is free to visit.
How to get to Spar Cave?
Spar cave is located near the small town of Elgol. Coming from the mainland, turn left at the Broadford Hotel and follow the road for around half an hour through the glen. As you approach Elgol at the top of the hill, you will see a small car park overlooking the Harbour and car park below. This may be the best place to park as there is limited parking near Spar Cave. This single track road winds around the hills for about 1km. Cross over the cattle grid and continue to follow the road round the the right. If there is space you may be able to park safely at the cattle grid.
Shortly after, you will notice a gate on your left with a faint path through the grass. Follow through the gate ensuring that you close it behind. The path winds down through the field and down the cliff where you will begin to see a cave.
It can be incredibly slippery and the ground beneath is very uneven as you enter onto the stony beach areas so mind your feet.
Follow the rocks to your left, passing by another two inlets before you reach the one leading you to Spar Cave. This is only accessible at low tide and it is important to note the tide times so that you can get back out of the cave safely before the tide comes in as well.
Why Should I go to Spar Cave?
The geological formation around the area and inside Spar Cave is breathtaking. Inside the cave itself, you can climb up the staircase made from calcium carbonate to explore deeper into the cave. Eventually you will reach a pool, we have heard of people going for a freezing dip in there but I can't say we did that one ourselves!
Spar Cave is definitely one of the more underrated sights on the Isle of Skye that you can enjoy without the crowds. Whether you make the walk across the rocks to see inside the cave or whether you sit on the rocks and enjoy the view, on a clear day the views across the water are magical.
When Should I go to Spar Cave?
Spar Cave is only accessible for an hour on either side of low tide so you will need to make sure you check the tide timesfor you to enter and exit safely. You don't want to get stuck in the dark cave for 12 hours so pre-planning is a must. It is also worth remembering that the rocks will be very slippery with seaweed when the tide goes out.
Due to the ground underfoot on the walk towards Spar Cave, it may be best not to visit after or during heavy rainfall as the ground will become very boggy underfoot.
So there you have it, your guide to visiting Spar Cave on the Isle of Skye. If you are visiting this incredible place and have any other questions on what to expect, leave us a comment down below. We love to chat about this stuff! If you have already been, let us know how it was! Did you get a clear day to see the sights? Did you manage the trip without getting caught in the rain? Let us know in the comments below!
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