The Caves of Samalaman

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Start on the Glenuig - Smirisary road at NM 664 778, OS Explorer 390

Park at Samalaman Beach, close to the boathouse if you can, it gets crowded sometimes.

Walk up the hill and turn off onto the track on the right just before the rock outcrop. This is the start of a long path with leads round the coast.

Follow it through the woods and it comes out onto a small flat area, on the far side of which you pass a fine volcanic dyke. Carry on and you reach another flat area with a huge old sheep fold, or fank. This has some interesting lichens on it.

Looking across Glenuig to the Small Isles

The track goes down to an old storm beach and then climbs up to the high ground. Look to your left and you will see a stone seat, put there many years ago as a rest for Graham Croll, the landowner.

Although it does not seem obvious, there is a way down the cliff directly opposite the stone seat, if you push through the trees you will see it. Go down the path to the left and when you reach the bottom, go round the cliff to your right. You will then see the front of a walled-off cave with window spaces all over it. There is another, smaller cave a few metres to the west and a crevice in front which smaller explorers can get into.

From the caves you can return to the path or scramble round the rocks westwards to the next inlet, where a small harbour has been built, possibly for smuggling.

From here you can go westwards again to a group of houses at the top of the storm beach from which you can climb the hill to the end of the public road and return along it to Samalaman Beach.