Days off Around Braemar – Linns o’ Dee & Quoich

Wed 30 Sep 2015
After my long Four Tops walk up Glen Derry, I was far too exhausted the next day to do anything except gentle strolling. It was also a very hot day indeed – the hottest of the year so far – funny for the last day in September. Braemar was also the hottest place in Britain that week!

(click on photos for full size/resolution)
After a long lie (as the Scots call a lay-in), I dragged myself out of bed and had a very leisurely breakfast while we decided where to skive off to for the day. We both fancied Linn O’ Quoich and debated about whether to cycle there – in the end, I decided I was still too tired so we’d drive.

It’s only about ten miles around to Linn O’ Quoich from Braemar and I was hoping to see some adders – unfortunately, my hopes in that direction were dashed. I didn’t see any snakes all week. I was pretty upset about that as I’m worried that means they’ve died out due to the terrible summer – a lack of sun and very cold temperatures 😦

We parked the car in the new carpark which is in full sun – it was absolutely scorching just there. We then headed around the corner of the road to the dappled shade of the trees alongside Quoich Water – a beautiful Cairngorm river.

In about quarter of a mile, you reach the Linn O’ Quoich. This is a dangerous waterfall as it funnels very quickly through a narrow rock passage but there wasn’t much water in it this particular day so I’m including one of my photos from another year.

There is also an upper Linn a little further upstream…

Another fascinating feature is the ‘Earl O’ Mar’s Punchbowl’ – a round hole swirled in the rock over time by the powerful waters.

my photos taken a previous year

I’m not much of a ‘water coward’ so I got pretty close, despite the water being fairly forceful that year!

Richard also took a close-up this year when it was drier and safer…

There was lovely light and colour to the water – Richard got a blue-water photo while I got a green-water one…

R Wood

Richard’s photo of the Linn…

We then set off strolling up river for about another mile in the sunshine – my photos…

Richard’s photos…

We then headed back and I took a couple more photos from the higher path we were headed back on…

We then strolled back along the path which heads across the bridge and slightly up the hillside and goes straight back to the carpark. From there we opened up the hot car and drove the three or four miles back along to the Linn O’ Dee which is notoriously difficult to photograph as most shots are into the light and the light is very tricky…

The Linn O’ Dee, to me, is far more sinister and dangerous than Linn O’ Quoich. If you fall into the Quoich, you have two bad bits. If you fall into the LInn O’ Dee, the whole passage is convoluted with rocky piers either side, many undercut sections and black water bubbling up evilly from the depths.

we have something very like it in Wharfedale – The Strid. Many people lose their lives in all three of these places. One which had just happened on a previous visit I made to Linn O’ Dee was a woman from a coach party. They’d gone down to look at the gorge and she lingered behind the others. In the end, she was poised at the very edge looking down into the depths, when the coach driver tooted his horn to get her to come back. The horn made her jump and she fell in and drowned. He must have felt terrible although it wasn’t his fault.

Richard’s photos…

me heading down for a quick swim!

the point of no return – the start of the Linn under the road bridge

The Linn gorge ends very suddenly and you’d never know from the immediate calm that there’d ever been any danger (my photo)

If you visit in wet weather, don’t get too playful on the rocks and get too near the edge – a lot of the rock is slippery!