St. Columba’s Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Ellary, Lochgilphead PA31 8PA. From Glasgow A82 to Arrochar, turn left on A83 to Inverneil, turn right on B8024 8.3 km to Achahoish, turn right on single lane road 5 km. (55.9314, -5.6018)
Open:	No restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:
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History

563	cave used as a place of retreat and worship by St Columba.

Description

St. Columba’s Cave was named after the Irish missionary St Columba, who came from Ulster. He applied to King Conal for permission to establish a monastery at Iona. He had to wait for the king's decision, which he did in the shelter of this small cave. Tere are also stories that he used the cave as a place of retreat and worship during his missionary work in Scotland. While much from the early Middle Ages is legend, there is also some actual history in the story, there is even an exact year when this happened. And there is the monastery at Iona, which undoubtedly exists, it is a famous tourist destination. There are documents, records, and contracts about such foundations, especially if ownership of land is involved. However, the story about living in the cave is not documented for obvious reasons, and thus it is just a legend. It is possible though, the cave is located between the capital Edinburgh and the island Iona.

The cave is a sort of slanted crack in a cliff face. It has a main chamber and a small side chamber. There is a raised shelf of rock against the east wall of the main chamber, where a drystone altar has been built. A small cross in low relief was carved into the rock face behind the altar, about 17 x 14 cm in size. There are more engravings, like a cross with equal length arms which is called a Latin cross, an odd series of five pits, and another very faint cross. It's actually impossible to determine the age of carvings, but they are thought to be among the earliest known Christian carvings in Scotland.

The cave is located on the south coast of the Knapdale peninsula. It is located off the route from Glasgow to Campbeltown, first turning off onto the small road B8024, and then turning off at the hamlet Achahoish on a paved but single lane road to Ellary. After about 4 miles (6.5 km), there is a small wooden sign to the cave, which is easy to miss. The short walk to the cave is marked and easy to find. This is not a spectacular cave, but it is a nice and quiet place with some history, and definitely worth a detour.