River Brora

The River Brora flows east across Sutherland in the Highlands. It begins where two upland burns, Allt Gobhlach and Allt nan Con-uisge, join above Dalnessie. Part of its water is taken by the Loch Shin Hydro Scheme into the Féith Osdail, a side stream of the River Tirry. The river then runs down Strath Brora past Dalreavoch and through three separate basins of Loch Brora. Finally it reaches the North Sea at the town of Brora. The river’s single main tributary is the Black Water, which joins on the left bank at Balnacoil. The Black Water itself gathers water from the River Skinsdale and the Coirefrois Burn before it meets the Brora. These streams drain moorland and hill ground north of the main valley. Their combined flow helps keep the Brora’s level steady through the seasons. Visitors can walk beside the river in Strath Brora or beside its loch basins. The water is shallow enough in places to wade, and salmon and trout move upstream in summer. The valley sides show patches of birch and Scots pine planted in the 20th century. From the loch’s eastern end the river winds through farmland to the sea, where seals sometimes gather near the mouth.