River Findhorn
River Findhorn | |
---|---|
Scottish Gaelic) | |
Location | |
Scotland | |
Moray | |
Highland | |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• coordinates | 57°10′51″N 4°13′51″W / 57.18083°N 4.23083°W |
• elevation | 500 metres |
Findhorn Bay | |
Basin features | |
Landmarks | Dunearn, Randolph's Leap, Sueno's Stone, Forres |
Tributaries | |
• left | Allt Creagach, Glenmazaran Burn, Funtack Burn, Carnoch Burn, Muckle Burn |
• right | River Eskin, Abhainn Cro-chlach, Elrick Burn, Allt Bruachaig, Tor Burn, River Divie, Mosset Burn, Kinloss Burn |
The River Findhorn (
The river is c. 100 kilometres (62 mi)[2] long[a] and the catchment area is 1,300 square kilometres (500 sq mi)[4]
The river provides excellent salmon and trout fishing and is popular with anglers from around the globe. It is also one of Scotland's classic
Name
The Findhorn is known in Gaelic as the Éire, while its valley, Strathdearn, is known as Srath Éireann.[1] The name Éire or Éireann was also borne by the Deveron to the east, and the two rivers were distinguished as Fionn-Éireann and Dubh-Éireann (incorporating the Gaelic words for "white" and "black", and giving rise to the English names).[6][7] Éire is identical in form to the Gaelic name for Ireland, and an old saying played upon this by comparing the five divisions of Strathdearn to the five Irish provinces.[1][b] It is likely pre-Celtic in origin, however, which would make the similarity coincidental.[8]
Course
The Findhorn rises in the Coignafearn Forest north of the main massif of the Monadhliath Mountains, several streams joining together near the Dalbeg bothy to form it. The westernmost of these is the River Eskin which flows down through a small valley surrounded by the heights of Càrn a' Choire Sheilich 791 metres (2,595 ft), Càrn nan Làraiche Maoile 809 metres (2,654 ft) and Càrn na Saobhaidh 766 metres (2,513 ft). To the south west the Abhainn Cro-chlach takes a direct route along a narrow and steep-sided defile that carries its waters from Carn Odhar na Criche 895 metres (2,936 ft) and Càrn Bàn 942 metres (3,091 ft). The two join by a small bridge in the heart of the Coignafearn Forest (which is a Scottish deer forest and devoid of trees). Arguably this is the point, some 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level, at which the Findhorn itself is born but less than kilometre downstream the Allt Creagach joins them at Dalbeg and from here on this is unquestionably the Findhorn River.[9] Strathdearn descends from here in a southwesterly direction until the river reaches its outlet to the Moray Firth.
In its upper reaches the river is unusually sinuous, being an incised meandering river valley very little altered by glaciers.[10] The next tributary to join the flow is the Elrick Burn, a substantial rivulet whose head waters are in the Monadhliaths east of the Abhainn Cro-chlach. Its confluence with the Findhorn is just south of the Coignafearn Lodge. 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) further east is the first wooded area of the valley, on the left bank below Creag Irealis and just upstream from Coignafearn Old Lodge. Some 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) downstream beyond the cliffs of Creag Dubh the valley takes on a definitely wooded appearance, although the surrounding hills remain bare heather moor.[9]
The Glenmazaran Burn is the next tributary on the right bank, and various farms and lodges provide habitation from here throughout most of the river's remaining length.
At Drynachan lodge the valley reverts to its earlier wooded and inhabited character and roads again follow its course almost all the way to the sea. The river is joined by the Carnoch Burn and flows almost due east from here, passing the 200 metres (660 ft) contour, and then shortly afterwards it is met by the Tor Burn on the right bank. This stream is only about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long, being formed by the confluence of the Rhilean and Leonach Burns, which flow through moorland before cascading down narrow gorges and over waterfalls in their final sections. There is a small, wooded river island in the Findhorn at the point at which it is joined by the Tor Burn - one of the few such islands along its length, none of which are named by the
Beyond Relugas the Findhorn is joined by the River Divie at the beauty spot of Randolph's Leap. The Divie's head waters lie in the hills to the south of the prominent Knock of Braemoray, and shortly before its confluence with the Findhorn it is itself joined by the Dorback Burn, which is fed by Lochindorb.[9] Hereafter the waters provide kayaking opportunities for the experienced for the next 4 kilometres (2.5 mi)[5]
Further downstream the Findhorn passes Logie House, the ruined hill fort of Dun Earn,
Geology and geomorphology
During the
In the lower Findhorn the bedrock is Old Red Sandstone that was deposited after the Caledonian orogeny. The rapid uplift of the mountain terrain to the south was accompanied by similarly rapid river erosion that resulted in sediment being spread throughout the Moray Firth basin and further north to Orkney and Shetland some 360–400 mya. At this time the land lay some 20 degrees south of the equator and experienced a semi-arid climate.[14]
During the Tertiary period some 65–50 mya volcanic activity on what is now the west coast of Scotland resulted in considerable uplift there and the creation of the slope that dips in an easterly direction that the modern Findhorn river follows.[15]
With the onset of
The great weight of the ice depressed the land surface and with the end of the glacial period there resulted both sea level rises and isostatic rebound of the land which combined with periodic uplifts resulted in a complex interplay of land and sea[18][19] with a prominent raised shoreline between Nairn and Forres that skirts the Culbin Forest.[20]
However, the shores have not been static even in historic times. The earliest detailed map of the Findhorn estuary dates from 1590 and was made by Timothy Pont. It shows a long sand bar stretching west from the site of the village of Findhorn along the Culbin shore. In 1701 this bar was described as being 6 miles (9.7 km) long after it was breached by the sea close its eastern edge.[21] At this point what is now the Culbin Forest on the river's left bank was a sandy waste with dunes reaching to 30 metres (98 ft) in height[22] and the river channel through Findhorn Bay was slowly shallowing due to the wind-blown sands.[21] Noticing the erosion to the bar, on which the village had been built, the inhabitants gradually deserted this site and moved to a new location about 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) to the south east,[21] where the modern village now stands.[23]
Iron Age settlement
Dunearn (near Dulsie Bridge),[24] Doune of Relugas,[25] Dun Earn (by Conicavel)[26] and Cluny Hill in Forres[27] are all Iron Age hillforts.
Doune of Relugas is at 120 metres (390 ft) AOD[9] and had a timber-laced rampart enclosing an area measuring 53 metres (174 ft) by 33 metres (108 ft).[28] Although 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) downstream Dun Earn lies about 20 metres (66 ft) higher than Doune of Relugas and encloses a larger area.[26] Dunearn's enclosed area is roughly .75 hectares (1.9 acres) in extent.[29] The existence of the hillfort at Cluny Hill, which extended to 3.6 hectares (8.9 acres), was only confirmed in 2017.[27]
Rodney's Stone is a Pictish cross slab symbol stone in the grounds of Brodie Castle that was discovered in the Dyke churchyard in 1781.[30]
Medieval period
Sueno's Stone is a Picto-Scottish Class III standing stone on the north-easterly edge of Forres. It is the largest surviving Pictish stone of its type and stands at over 6.5 metres (21 ft) high.
Forres Castle stood on the east bank of the Mosset Burn.
In 1303 Edward I of England stayed at Lochindorb castle for a month during his military occupation of Scotland. Originally built by the Comyns, the structure sat on an island in the loch. Perhaps the most notorious resident of the Findhorn valley was Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch, who was based at the castle and who burned Forres, Pluscarden Abbey and Elgin in 1390. In 1455 it was reduced by the Thane of Cawdor on the orders of James II and only the outer walls now remain.[36]
Modern era
Various places are claimed to have been where the last
The Findhorn valley was badly affected by the
If the clearances were a man-made travail, the
Between 1919 and 1963 the Forestry Commission planted some 2,560 hectares (6,300 acres) of trees on the Culbin sands and created what is now an extensive conifer plantation.[23] During the early 21st century Moray Council undertook a flood prevention scheme on the Mosset Burn to protect the town of Forres up to a standard of a 1 in 100 years event. The principal component of the project is a 3.8 million m3 flood storage reservoir at Chapelton to the south of the town.[45]
Notable buildings
The Findhorn valley has a wide variety of
In Forres the
The Universal Hall is an arts and conference centre at Findhorn Ecovillage that enjoys a stained glass window by American artist James Hubbel.[53] At the heart of the village of Findhorn are the 1739 Crown and Anchor Inn and Findhorn House, the home of the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club, which is an 18th-century house with late 19th-century enlargements.[44]
Ecology and leisure
Agriculture and forestry are practiced throughout the length of the land on the Findhorn's banks, but leisure activities are also an important aspect of the river and its catchment. On the high moors which are the source of the headwaters,
See also
The neighbouring:
- River Nairn to the west
- River Spey to the east.
References
Notes
- ^ Various similar lengths are quoted e.g. 100km.[3]
- ^ The saying goes: Tha cóig cóigimh an Éirinn is tha cóig cóigimh an Srath Éireann, ach is fearr aon chóigeamh na h-Éireann na cóig cóigimh Srath Éireann. "There are five fifths in Ireland and five fifths in Ireland's strath [Strathdearn], but better is one fifth of Ireland than the five fifths of Ireland's strath."[1]
- ^ The small fort of Dun Earn is not to be confused with its larger neighbour of Dunearn. Rather confusingly, Dun Earn sits above the Dunearn Burn near its confluence with the Findhorn about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) downstream from Dunearn.
- ^ By the mid-18th century very little remained of the old Royal castle and in 1835 its site was marked by a granite obelisk.[31]
- ^ Some of the abbey stones were used for a new "place of worship", others went into the construction of Cromwell's citadel in Inverness.[34] (McKean's wording suggests the stones were used for Inverness Castle, a quite different structure.)[35]
- ^ Graham then quotes these lines from the song:
We ne'er shall tread the fancy-haunted valley,
Where 'tween the dark hills creeps the small clear stream,
In arms around the patriarch banner rally,
Nor see the moon on royal tombstones gleamWhen the bold kindred, in the time long vanish'd,
Conquered the soil and fortified the keep,
No seer foretold the children would be banish'd
That a degenerate lord might boast his sheep. - ^ Across the north-east six individuals lost their lives, 22 bridges and 60 houses were destroyed and 600 families were made homeless.[44]
Citations
- ^ a b c d Watson (1926), p. 230.
- ^ Almanac of Scotland Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ "River Findhorn" Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ "River Findhorn". The Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie Fisheries Trust. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ^ a b "River Findhorn - Gorge". The UK Rivers Guidebook. UKRGB. Retrieved 3 June 2018
- ^ Diack (1921), p. 131.
- ^ Nicolaisen (1986), p. 184.
- ^ Nicolaisen (1986), p. 187.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ordnance Survey (2018).
- .
- ^ Gordon (1993), p. 19.
- ^ a b c Gillen (1993), p. 1.
- ^ Gillen (1993), pp. 2–3.
- ^ Gillen (1993), pp. 6–8.
- ^ Gillen (1993), pp. 15–17.
- ^ Gillen (1993), pp. 16–17.
- ^ Isaksen (2017), p. 4.
- ^ Gillen (1993), p. 19.
- ^ Ross (1992), pp. 48–56.
- ^ Ross (1992), p. 48.
- ^ a b c Ross (1992), p. 8.
- ^ Ross (1992), p. 1.
- ^ a b Ross (1992), pp. 76–77.
- ^ "Dunearn". Canmore. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ "Doune Of Relugas". Canmore. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Dun Earn". Canmore. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ a b Isaksen (2017), p. 37.
- ^ Oram (1997), p. 208.
- ^ "Plane table survey: Dunearn Fort." Canmore. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 56.
- ^ a b c McKean (1987), p. 65.
- ^ Isaksen (2017), p. 7.
- ^ a b McKean (1987), pp. 76–77.
- ^ Graham (1977), p. 149.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 77.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 49.
- ^ Fraser Darling & Boyd (1969), p. 64.
- ^ Cochrane (1981), pp. 16–17.
- ^ Graham (1977).
- ^ Werritty & McEwen (2007), p. 125.
- ^ Werritty & McEwen (2007), pp. 125, 129.
- ^ Lauder (1830), p. 57 et seq..
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 50.
- ^ a b McKean (1987), p. 79.
- ^ Gowans, Ian; Moysey, Daniel; Winfield, Paul (2010)"Chapelton Flood Storage Reservoir". The British Dam Society.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 51.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 52.
- ^ McKean (1987), pp. 53–54.
- ^ "The Creative Campus, Highlands and Islands". Glasgow School of Art. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ McKean (1987), pp. 54–55.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 66.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 73.
- ^ McKean (1987), p. 80.
- ^ Webster (1978), pp. 32–22.
Bibliography
- "Canmore". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- Cochrane, Robert G., ed. (1981), Findhorn: A Scottish Village, Findhorn: Thule Press, ISBN 978-0-906191-79-8
- Diack, Francis G. (1921). "Place-Names of Pictland". Revue Celtique. 38. Paris: H. Champion: 109–132.
- Fraser Darling, F.; Boyd, J. M. (1969), Natural History in the Highlands and Islands, London: Bloomsbury, ISBN 978-1-870630-98-6
- Gillen, Cornelius (1993), "Geology and Landscape of Moray Firth", in Sellar, W.D.H (ed.), Moray: Province and People, Edinburgh: The Scottish Society for Northern Studies, ISBN 978-0950599472
- Gordon, Richard (1993), The Complete Moray Rambler, Buckie: Richard Gordon "with the assistance of Moray District Council".
- Graham, Cuthbert (1977), Portrait of the Moray Firth, London: Robert Hale, ISBN 978-0709160182
- Isaksen, Leif (2017), The Hilltop Enclosure on Cluny Hill, Forres description, destruction, disappearance (PDF), Lancaster University, retrieved 28 May 2018
- Lauder, Thomas Dick (1830), An account of the great floods of August 1829 in the province of Moray and adjoining districts, Elgin: R. Stewart
- McKean, Charles (1987), The District of Moray: An Illustrated Architectural Guide, Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, ISBN 978-0-7073-0528-8
- Nicolaisen, W. F. H. (1986). Scottish Place-Names: Their Study and Significance. London: B. T. Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-5234-X.
- Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- Oram, Richard D. (1997). Scottish Prehistory. Aberdeen: Centre for Scottish Studies, University of Aberdeen. ISBN 9781874744696.
- Ross, Sinclair (1992). The Culbin Sands: Fact and Fiction. Edinburgh: Birlinn. ISBN 9780906265161.
- Watson, William J. (1926). The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons.
- Webster, Mary McCallum (1978), Flora of Moray, Nairn & East Inverness, Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, ISBN 978-0900015427
- Werritty, Alan; McEwen, J. Lindsey (January 2007). "The Muckle Spate of 1829: the physical and societal impact of a catastrophic flood on the River Findhorn, Scottish Highlands". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 32 (1). JSTOR: 66–89. JSTOR 4640000.
Further reading
- Whittle, Jamie (2013), White River: A Journey Up and Down the River Findhorn, Sandstone Press