CHAPTER L 



THE CONON 



This river drains a little more than four hundred square miles of 

 chiefly Highland country, and, rising from Loch Sherlet, on the 

 west coast of Ross-shire, not very far from the head of Loch Maree, 

 it flows through Loch Rosque into Loch Luichart (which also 

 receives the overflow from the large Loch of Fannich), a fine sheet 

 of water about eight miles in length by about one in breadth at 

 the widest part, in which, unfortunately, there are large numbers 

 of pike. Soon after the Conon leaves this loch there is a severe 

 fall of nearly thirty feet, and the taking of salmon up or round 

 such a formidable obstacle could only be done at a considerable 

 cost. A short distance above these main falls there is a smaller 

 one of ten feet : while farther up again, and above Loch Luichart, 

 there is another sharp fall just below Loch CuUen. To open up 

 any one of these falls from below without treating all of them in 

 a like manner would undoubtedly be a waste of money. It has, 

 however, been estimated that the whole of these falls could be 

 made passable for salmon at a cost of about -^1500, which expenditure, 

 if incurred, would throw open twenty miles of river, together with 

 the Lochs of CuUen, Rosque, Ledgowan, Auchnalt, Luichart, and 

 several smaller ones. 



A few miles below the big falls the Conon is joined, on the right 

 bank, b}' a large tributary — the Meig — which rises in the Forest of 

 Auchnashellach, passes through JMr. R. H, Combe's Forest of Strath- 

 conon, and on leaving it enters the property of Scatwell, belonging 

 to Mr. Robert English ; it has a total run of twenty-five miles, 

 joining the Conon two miles above Scatwell House. The lower 

 pool of the Meig is let to the hotel at Strathpeffer, and visitors 

 there can pay by the day or the week for the fishing. The 

 ^leig above Scatwell is strictly preserved, and no leave is given 

 except to Mr. Combe's friends. This tributary gives a certain 

 number of fish each season, but not a great many, and though 

 a few are got in July, the chief take is from the middle 

 of August to the end of the season, when fish are not very 

 presentable. 



Some eight miles below the junction of the Meig the Blackwater 

 joins the Conon on the left bank, a tributary which is nearly as 

 large as the main stream. The Blackwater drains Loch Garve, 

 and a few miles below the outflow are the picturesque and tourist- 



