CHAPTER XXL 



THE RIVERS FORSS, HALLADALE, NAVER, AND BORGIE. 



THE FORSS. 



ANGLING SEASON : llth February to 31st October. 

 NETTING SEASON : llth February to 26th August. 



THIS little Caithness river rises from the central loch in a series of 

 three small lochs close to the Sutherland boundary. Like many 

 other small things this little loch has a long name, viz. Loch Torr-na- 

 Ceardaich. The burn first flows in an easterly direction, and is 

 called the Cnocglass or Torran Water. Bending northwards it 

 passes close to another small loch called Loch Calam, 435 feet above 

 sea-level, which empties into it by a small stream. After several 

 windings the course trends more to the north of the Cnocglass, and 

 ends in Loch Shurrery, 321 feet above the sea, and about a mile 

 long, the property of Mr. Pilkington of Sandside and the Trustees 

 of Forss Estate. It is a trouting loch, although salmon reach it in 

 autumn. 



Thereafter the stream is called the Forss, and continues its course 

 due north for some miles. Then winding to the north-east, it 

 receives a stream from Loch Calder, a good trouting loch, which also 

 is reported to contain char. A further course of about three miles 

 brings the little river to the bridge of Forss and Forss House. Here 

 a serious fall occurs, which gives the Norse name to the river, and 

 from the fall to the sea at Crosskirk Bay is only a mile. The total 

 length of the course described is about fifteen miles. 



The rocky creek known as Crosskirk Bay, which forms the estuary 

 of the river, is sufficiently narrow at its seaward opening to admit 

 of bag nets being run out from either shore, one attached to the 

 outer end of the other, so that fish can be seriously debarred from 

 entering. It has happened in the past that competing tacksmen 

 fished opposite sides of the bay and had small mercy on the river. 



