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Kyle of Sutherland

Highland geography stubsRivers of Highland (council area)Scotland river stubs
Kyle of Sutherland from Struie Hill viewpoint. geograph.org.uk 1042051
Kyle of Sutherland from Struie Hill viewpoint. geograph.org.uk 1042051

The Kyle of Sutherland (Scottish Gaelic: An Caol Catach) is a river estuary that separates Sutherland from Ross-shire. It flows into the Dornoch Firth at Bonar Bridge, and is fed by the rivers Oykel, Shin, River Cassley and Carron. The downstream extent of the Kyle of Sutherland is the eponymous bridge at Bonar Bridge. The upstream end of 'the Kyle' as it is locally known, is the furthest inland extent of tidal water, which corresponds to 'the bailey bridge', beyond Rosehall. The Kyle did separate Sutherland and Ross-shire for centuries until 1975 when the old Scottish counties were abolished. The counties of Sutherland and Ross became districts of the Highland Region, with altered boundaries. As a result of this, the Kyle became wholly part of Sutherland, though most locals continue to refer to the original boundaries.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Kyle of Sutherland (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Kyle of Sutherland
A836,

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Wikipedia: Kyle of SutherlandContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 57.925 ° E -4.4 °
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A836
IV27 4ET
Scotland, United Kingdom
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Kyle of Sutherland from Struie Hill viewpoint. geograph.org.uk 1042051
Kyle of Sutherland from Struie Hill viewpoint. geograph.org.uk 1042051
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River Shin
River Shin

The River Shin (Scottish Gaelic: Abhainn Sin, pronounced [ˈa.ɪɲ ˈʃin]) is a river in the Scottish North West Highlands. The river flows from the southern end of Loch Shin, next to the village of Lairg. It flows in a generally southward direction, passing by Shin Forest and over the Falls of Shin. It joins the Kyle of Sutherland at Invershin, which then flows into the Dornoch Firth at Bonar Bridge and then the North Sea. The river is part of a larger network with several tributaries, but the part which is actually called the Shin is just 7 miles (11 km) long. There are several bridges on this section, a number of prehistoric remains on the banks, and the ruins of a corn mill at Gruid. The river was extensively altered in the 1950s when the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board constructed Cassley power station on the banks of Loch Shin, Lairg power station at the southern end of Loch Shin, and Shin power station at Inveran, close to the mouth of the river. A large dam was built at Lairg, to increase the storage capacity of Loch Shin, and a smaller one just below Lairg to form Little Loch Shin, from where a tunnel runs to Inveran to feed the power station. Flow down the river has been increased by capturing some of the headwaters of the River Cassley to the west and the River Brora to the east. The river is used by anglers, because it contains populations of game fish such as trout and salmon. Fishing is managed by the riparian landowners, and the river is divided into three beats, on which the number of fishing permits issued on any one day is strictly limited. Fish lifts were built into the dams to allow migrating salmon to pass upstream into the rivers beyond Loch Shin, but survival rates for smolts which hatch in the upper reaches are small, and a catch and release policy has been implemented, to attempt to improve dwindling stocks of game fish. Habitat improvements have also been carried out, to provide spawning grounds for salmon and to increase the population of freshwater pearl mussels, which clean the water.