River Glass

The River Glass rises from Loch Glass in the Highlands and winds 9 km through Glen Glass past Evanton into the Cromarty Firth. The river is shown on maps as Allt Graad or River Glass, names that echo its older forms Allt Grande and Aultgraad. Near Evanton it cuts the dramatic Black Rock Gorge, a cleft of dark stone where the water narrows and rushes. Local tales link the gorge to the Lady of Balconie, a figure said to haunt the rocks at dusk. Below the gorge the river widens again before joining the Cromarty Firth close to the mouth of the River Sgitheach. A hydro-electric scheme now stands beside the gorge, harnessing the river’s steady flow. The plant is a run-of-river design with a capacity of 3.5 MW and is run by RWE Npower. It sits on the lower catchment where the land flattens near the gorge’s exit. Water is taken from the main channel and returned downstream, leaving the river’s natural course largely unchanged. The scheme supplies clean power while the gorge remains open to walkers and sightseers. Visitors follow paths that run beside the gorge and along the riverbank above Evanton. The gorge walls rise steeply, casting shade over the rushing water below. Above the gorge the river flows through open moorland and birch woods, offering quiet stretches for short walks. Near the Cromarty Firth the water slows, reflecting the sky and the hills beyond. The whole route gives a sense of the river’s power and its place in local stories and modern energy use.