Everyone thinks that “their” river is the best river but what is best? Is it the prettiest or the fishiest, the most spectacular or the most benign, a playground or a place for peace and quiet?
The answer, of course, is that a river has to be a lot of different things to a lot of different people as well as supporting the natural processes that make it self sustaining.
Which fisher can forget the excitement of that swirl in the water as a salmon comes up to the fly?
Which kayaker or rafter can forget the anticipation of approaching a grade 4 rapid, knowing the commitment is made and there is no way out?
Which bird watcher denies the joy of watching a little dipper collecting food for its young?
Which walker doesn’t appreciate the peace and quiet of a late autumn day amongst the multi coloured trees of the gorge paths?
Which lichenologist forgets the pleasure of finding a rare species they have not seen before?
On the Findhorn all of this happens on an almost daily basis so there’s a lot going on but, surprisingly, most people who come to the river regard it as a peaceful and invigorating experience and one which they want to repeat.
The Findhorn rises 900 meters up high in the Monadhliath mountains between Kingussie and Fort Augustus and flows north east for 100 km. to reach the sea at Findhorn Bay on the Moray Firth coast. It drains an area of 1300 sq. km., through peaty mountain plateau and open moorland then enters its most spectacular stretch – 25 km. of steep and often inaccessible gorge – before spreading out to run the last 10 km. of its course through some of the best farmland in Scotland, famous for its malting barley from which the local whiskies are distilled.
There are challenges; changing climate patterns mean water temperatures are rising, stressing the fish while more concentrated rainfall leads to less stable flows and periods of water scarcity. Increasing people pressure often competes with the needs of wildlife and we are only just beginning to understand the impact that changes in the catchment and the immediate coastal areas are having on the marine environment.
In this occasional series, I’ll look at the different aspects of the river, particularly focused around Logie where I have lived for the past 75 years but ranging over the whole catchment because any river is not just a ribbon of water running from headwater to sea. It is both a giver – of pleasure, employment and nature support – and a taker – of flooding, man-made and natural pollution and the effects of climate change.
However clever we think we are, there’s a huge amount in nature that is beyond human control. Perhaps the most important bit to remember is that where the health and wellbeing of the system is in our gift we must not abuse our powers.
Written by Alasdair Laing, December 2025.
Images by Pete Pattisson, 2025
