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[gaffr]

Last year after visiting Creag Dubh we tried and failed to locate Cluny's Cave on the way down from the hill. I had come across it a couple of times, some time ago, after finishing a couple of routes at the lower end of the upper tier.
Today on my way up to Creag Dubh I thought that I would have another go at locating the cave.

This rowan tree seems like a reasonable indicator for shuffling out towards the area of the cave....a little way above the tree there is a large boulder around which you can gain access to a bracken covered wide ledge.

Further out along the ledge after passing an area of boulders things get a wee bit more angled....there was already a few stones that made a small cairn and I added another small heap.

The entrance to the small cave that only really would give room to stretch out for one small highlander.

A bit more of the interior of the cave....there is a small hole in the roof that would allow smoke to flow outwards....perhaps would have been used cautiously.

The pleasant outlook from the cave.

After retracing my steps I had to navigate a sea of bracken to gain the normal path to travel upwards to Creag Dubh.

Outlook to Carn Macoul and Carn Dearg.

The main summit and cairn of Creag Dubh is behind the two humps in the image.

I came down by the 'way of the goats' which is a kind of ramp between the lower and upper crags. although no goats were met up with today

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[LeithySuburbs]

Looks interesting . Been meaning to get up this hill for ages and now i have another reason .

[gaffr]

The position shown on my 1:50,000 map is accurate (Memory Map).....cursor on the wee symbol for the site.....it was precise with my own position on my GNSS at the site.
Not really appropriate 'to go at it' with an instrument in this kind of terrain.
Care on a wet day and the 'dying back' bracken can be slippery.
A we bit of perseverance is needed since the entrance to the cave is hidden from the approach direction.
Also the area does not appear to have many, if any, visits recently. Maybe nowadays the climbers abseil off from the end of the climbing?

[mgmt!]

an interesting howf gaffr, is this were the oui oui waterfall is ?, climbed it a few winters ago.

[mgmt!]

an interesting howf gaffr, is this were the oui oui waterfall is ?, climbed it a few winters ago.

[gaffr]

Hello Mngmt,
Oui Oui is on the waterfall wall part of the Central Wall area.....the cave is at the right land end of the Sprawl Wall ....the Upper Walls.
If you think top of the Tree Hee and Slabsville climbs you will be quite close to the Cave. I recall doing a maybe VD? route above this area of the top of the fore-mentioned climbs....between these but as you look up a bit to the right.
The entrance to the cave is directly above the usually wet slabs right of the two routes.
Hope that helps.
The position on the o.s. map is accurate.

[BlackPanther]

Lovely autumn colours We did this hill a couple of years ago in similar conditions. I didn't know about the cave, must have a look next time.

[sross]

On this Thanksgiving Day Sunday, here, I'd say that enjoying such a stunning walk, would be something for which to be truly thankful. Finding that little cave to gain shelter from a storm would make one quite thankful too!

[gaffr]

I am not the best person to relate the details of the historical significance of this wee cave. I am sure that many within the MacPherson clan would know a great deal more than me regarding this. Cluny Macpherson was a supporter of CES 'the bonny Prince' and after the defeat at Culloden Moor in 1746 Cluny Macpherson became a fugitive and was pursued, as was CES, by the British army, the so called Redcoats, for several years. He evaded capture only because of the assistance given by this own folks who provided many hiding places for him in Badenoch and beyond. The wee cave was perhaps one of the places where he kept out of sight of the military. I think that he eventually escaped from Scotland to reach France.

[Sunset tripper]

Hi gaffr. I was up on Creag Dubh yesterday had a look for the cave going by your directions.
Found a couple of cairns but couldn't match up the terrain to your photos. Being a different time of year probably didn't help much. Found a couple of cairns one after the other but didn't proceed any further as the ground was very wet and steep and a bit dangerous plus we were mainly there to go up the hill

Here is the first cairn we came across

And here is the 2nd a bit further along.

Just wondering if you recognise it and if we were in the right area as planning to go back when it has dried up a bit.
Cheers

[gaffr]

Hello,
I guess that my description and images are really only suitable for an autumn visit to the Cave. The rowan tree is prominent.
I have the feeling that you were maybe a bit lower down with your search....looks as it the alt. for approach, that I used, is at around 450 metres. I should build a bigger cairn at the approach....I don't recall the cairns in your images but it is a few years since I have been in the area. The first time that I came across the cave was getting off the top of the crag area after finishing a route. Thereafter until the time of my autumn visit I kind-of failed to reach it.

Position of the Cave....Memory map 1:25,000....small circle would indicate the cave.

The fence ...west side ...of the evergreen plantation narrows down the approach area twixt fence and crags.
Happy searching....let us know what you think after locating it....perhaps not a suitable place for one of these ?geo-cache things.

[Graeme D]

After doing Carn an Fhreiceadain by train last weekend with a friend, we are now planning doing Creag Dubh in a similar fashion at some point, possibly in the autumn, and I would like to try to find the cave too, so maybe your original post will come in handy!

[gaffr]

I was up that way earlier today....and it being autumn again I sought out the Rowan tree with autumn plumage to start the wee traverse. The tree was even a deeper red almost verging on a mild purple … there is probably another name for such a colour?

Quite slippery today after the rain. It certainly does not seem to get much traffic over the ledges leading to the cave.
More traffic would create a path I guess.

Finding the start is the key but the rest is just using your feet carefully and grabbing the odd bit of vegetation to make Progress. It is a very small cave with just about room for one wee highlander to lie down inside....but what a view to look out upon from the entrance every morning.
I'll sort out some images from my recently acquired phone....wish I had taken the old camera from which it is much easier to transfer the images to the PC and of course with the phone camera it is not possible to do any zooming in towards the subject.

[gaffr]

a few images from last Fridays visit.

The Rowan tree key for reaching the cave.

Cave entrance.

Looking out from the cave entrance.

Descent via the goats path after transferring to the other side of the wee Elsie.

Part of the lower crags. The cave is above part of the upper crags....the goats path is between upper and lower crags.

[Sunset tripper]

Great info gaffr ~ cheers.