I have just added this to the map of places to fly your drone at Drone Scene:
An interesting spot on the NC500, off the beaten track.
The Bone Caves are so named as they contain relics of Eurasian lynx, brown bear, Arctic fox, reindeer (dated to 47,000 BCE), the only evidence of polar bears so far found in Scotland, and human skeletons dated to the 3rd millennium BCE. The skeleton of a bear thought to be 11,000 years old or more was removed from the caves in 2008. The bones were found by cavers in 1995, deep in the Uamh an Claonaite system and have been examined by the National Museums Scotland to determine the age and species. It is presumed the animal died while hibernating, and that its body was later washed further into the underground network.
The route from the free car park is not an easy one, a 4km hike over an uneven rocky path follows the burn up th valley, and then you have 2 choices, the light hand direct up route - very exposed and at times eroded and difficult path, or the longer left hand path that goes past the cave site and winds around the valley at a slightly easier and less exposed ascent.
We went up the rh and came down the lh, given the choice again I would do the LH path every time.
The views are good, the caves not as big as you think at first, but if you have the right gear and torches, then they open out further inside - we didn’t go further, were already knackered by the time we arrived, still, the serenity and sacred vibe of the caves made the trip very worthwhile…
Filmed on a Sunday when the EGR610 RAF Low Flying Zone was inactive - hence we could fly drones without issue - this was the day’s final stop, followed by the 4KM walk back down to the car - in torrential rain!
The originator declared that this location was not inside a Flight Restriction Zone at the time of being flown on 27/04/2025. It remains the responsibility of any pilot to check for any changes before flying at the same location. Landowner permission may be required before taking off.
