Waterfalls worth gaun a mile to see-Duchray Water Traditional Cache
Waterfalls worth gaun a mile to see-Duchray Water
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Black Linn of Blairvaich is one of a series of caches located at
waterfalls in Central Scotland. These were inspired by my visits to
waterfalls over the past 20 years, which were motivated by Louis
Scott’s book The Waterfalls of Scotland, 1987. I have chosen
waterfalls that are less well-known whilst still being worthwhile
visiting for their differing qualities.
The Black Linn of Blairvaich is a significant 8m waterfall on the
Duchray water.
The Duchray Water is a lively mountain stream which becomes the
River Forth at Aberfoyle. The Duchray Water rises in the Queen
Elizabeth Forest Park to the east of Loch Lomond. It flows nearly
14 miles (22 km) eastwards past Duchray Castle, a former stronghold
of the Grahams, before joining the Forth a mile west of
Aberfoyle.This is a very scenic but seldom visited waterfall, best
appreciated after heavy rain. It is a pretty location especially in
Autumn. The plunge pool is inky black because of the slate bedrock
here which gives the waterfall its name.
It is set in a native woodland including Birch and Oak and Rowan
which is a pleasant change after the usual plantation conifers.
There are groups of Scots pine dotted across the landscape. The
trees are best appreciated in their autumnal glory in October. The
contrast with the backdrop of conifers and the reflections in the
water can be quite dramatic.
In the forest you might see Red Deer, Roe Deer, Red Squirrel,
Otter and Osprey
Blairvaich was a township which was marked on Ross's map of
Stirlingshire of 1780 as Brarvaich. All that remains now are ruins
and Blairvaich Cottage which was run as a retreat centre by
Scripture Union Scotland until the mid '90s.
The cache can be reached by the Red cycle track from either
Kinlochard or by doing the whole loop from Aberfoyle.
Access to the forest is only for permitted vehicles. So please
park at the Kinlochard forest car park at N 56 11.132 W 004
30.223. Follow the Red cycle track, initially signposted
Milton/Aberfoyle high route and then signposted Aberfoyle. The
track is in good condition for mountain bikes and walking. It
should take less than 20 minutes to bike in but more if you are
walking.
There is a path to the Linn just before you reach the bridge over
the river. This is hard going in parts and can be very wet, so
boots are advisable. Scramble down the obvious path to the view
point for the falls. The section down to the cache and view point
is steep and can be slippy so extreme care should be taken. I would
not recommend this path for children.
The cache is a waterproof BDH bottle. I used it on many Kayak
trips including the first descent of the Duchray Water 15 years
ago. This trip was something of an epic journey but there is not
enough room to tell the story here! As the cache location can get
very wet with spray please ensure that the rubber seal is replaced
as found after screwing the lid back on. * Congratulations to the
search dog for FTF *
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre ebpx ol Bnx
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