Linn of Avon

Linn of Avon stands in Moray where the River Avon cuts through steep-sided banks. The word ‘linn’ here means a waterfall or the deep pool beneath it. It lies among the rolling hills that divide the wet west Highlands from the drier east. The river drops over a short but dramatic fall before rushing on through a narrow gorge. Visitors find the spot marked on Ordnance Survey maps as a named waterfall. The fall is modest in height yet striking in sound and motion. It is one of the many falls that dot the Highland rivers, most of which gather in the west. The Scottish Highlands hold over a hundred waterfalls, each formed by hard rock layers over softer ones. ‘Linn’ appears in place names across southern and eastern Scotland as well as Northumberland. A path follows the riverbank to a viewpoint above the fall. From there the water can be seen plunging into a deep plunge pool below. The surrounding hills rise gently, covered in heather and grass. The air carries the constant roar of water and the scent of damp earth. On quiet days the only other sound is the cry of buzzards circling overhead.