Clearmidge Hole

The entrance to Clearmidge Hole is easy enough to miss - just a dark mouth in the hillside above Appin, with nothing but a worn track leading up to it. This modest cave has attracted visitors for centuries, though it won't take you long to work out why. The passage slopes down into darkness, and depending on conditions and your nerve, you can venture some way in before the passageway tightens up properly.

It's a cave for the curious rather than the committed potholer. The walls are damp, the footing can be tricky, and you'll want a proper torch - the kind that actually illuminates rather than the phone-in-pocket approach. There's something rather satisfying about being inside a mountain, even one as modest as this. The silence is real. You won't be fighting crowds here.

Geologists and walkers will find this worthwhile - it's genuinely interesting geology without requiring specialist kit or a rescue plan. Families with children keen on exploration will manage it, though younger kids might find the darkness unsettling. Allow 30 minutes to an hour depending on how far you're willing to push into it.

Clearmidge slots nicely into a wider Argyll trip. Creagan Station Tourers is just four miles off, making it an easy morning walk from a pitched base. The Oban Camping and Caravanning Club Site is six miles south if you're using that as your hub. Neither location requires a major detour - the cave sits well within a day's exploration of the area.