THE HALLADALE 253 



RIVER HALLADALE. 



ANGLING SEASON : 12th January to 30th September. 

 NETTING SEASON: llth February to 26th August. 



Whole river belongs to the Duke of Sutherland, and is supervised by his factor at 

 Tongue, Mr. J. Morrison. 



This river, which is wholly in Sutherland, is almost exactly 20 

 miles in length. It has been described as forming the boundary 

 between Caithness and Sutherland, but the boundary is some miles 

 to the east, and does not even cut the small tributaries which flow 

 from this side. 



It rises south-east of the railway line at Forsinard at an elevation 

 of about 1100 feet, but makes, at first, a rapid descent, so that when 

 it passes below the railway it crosses also the 500 feet contour line. 

 Thereafter the main direction is north to the Pentland Firth at 

 Bighouse Bay, and in its course there are comparatively few windings 

 till within about four miles of the sea. The road from Forsinard to 

 Melvich, opposite Bighouse, follows the course of the river the whole 

 way. There is only one tributary of any importance, the Dyke 

 Water, which enters from the west, close to the remains of a Pictish 

 tower, six miles from Forsinard. 



The upper sections of the Halladale have good running character 

 and rocky pools, and plenty of spawning ground. The lower sections 

 are rather sluggish, and generally require a breeze to fish well. At 

 one point, not far from the mouth, the late Duke of Sutherland cut 

 the river into canal form in order to protect certain crofting lands. 

 This is a very dull piece of water, and never yields much. 



The river is not very dissimilar to the Naver, but on a smaller 

 scale, and without a head loch, yet it has never had the reputation 

 of the Naver, and has never, perhaps, had a proportional chance, for 

 the netting at Bighouse Bay is pretty hard. Like all the rivers 

 from here west to the Borgie, it enters a beautiful sandy bay. Like 

 the Naver and Thurso, it holds fish quite early in the season in the 

 quiet lower pools, but very few are taken. The impression prevails 

 that the early fish drop back to the sea. This view was always 

 maintained also in the Thurso when that river was netted, for early 

 in the season fish, which were coloured as if they had been in fresh 

 water some time, used to be taken at the mouth of the river. A great 

 drawback to the Halladale is the rapid diminution of the water-flow. 

 No loch communicates with the river ; the high ground near the 



