River Beauly
Encyclopedia
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, about 15 km west of the city of Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
.
It is about 25 km long, beginning near the village of Struy
Struy
Struy is a small village at the northern end of Strathglass, about 15 km south-west of Beauly in the Highland council area of Scotland.The confluence of the River Farrar and the River Glass is a short distance to the east of Struy, here the rivers join to become the River Beauly. The River Farrar...
, at the confluence of the River Farrar
River Farrar
The River Farrar is a river in the Highlands of Scotland. It begins at the confluence of the Uisge Misgeach and the Garbh-uisge, which flows out of Loch Monar...
and the River Glass
River Glass, Strathglass
The River Glass is a river in the Scottish Highlands which flows northeastwards down Strathglass. It begins at the confluence of the River Affric and the Abhainn Deabhag, near the village of Tomich...
. The river meanders as it flows east, passing to the south of the village of Beauly
Beauly
Beauly is a town of the Scottish county of Inverness-shire, on the River Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. Its population was 855 in 1901...
and into the Beauly Firth
Beauly Firth
The Beauly Firth is a firth in northern Scotland. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly and at the other by Inverness . The Kessock Ferry has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century...
.
The river was first bridged in 1814, when Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
constructed the Lovat Bridge about 1 km south west of Beauly. This bridge carried the A9, the main route north, until the Kessock Bridge
Kessock Bridge
The Kessock Bridge carries the A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness.-Description:The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Moray Firth, between the village of North Kessock and the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.The bridge has a...
was opened in 1982. A railway bridge across the river on the outskirts of Beauly was built in the 1860s to carry the Inverness & Ross-shire Railway (now the Far North Line
Far North Line
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick.- Route :...
). Another road bridge, near Kilmorack, was built in the 20th century.
Affric-Beauly hydro-electric power scheme
The Affric / Beauly hydro-electric power scheme for the generation of hydro-electric power is located in the western Highlands of Scotland. It is based around Glen Strathfarrar, Glen Cannich and Glen Affric, and Strathglass further downstream....
, with dams and power stations at Aigas
Aigas
For the nearby town with a similar name, see Crask of AigasAigas is a small crofting hamlet, in Inverness-shire, Scotland, now within the Highland Council area...
and Kilmorack
Kilmorack
Kilmorack is a small hamlet in Inverness-shire, in the Highlands of Scotland and now in the Highland Council area. It is situated on the north bank of the River Beauly, 3 miles west of Beauly and 15 miles west of the city of Inverness....
. Both have 20MW generators and include fish ladder
Fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
s to allow salmon to pass, the Aigas fish ladder is open to visitors in the summer.
Eilean Aigas
Eilean Aigas
Eilean Aigas is an island in the River Beauly, Scotland, in Kiltarlity parish in traditional Inverness-shire, now Highland Region. It is most notable for the mansion on it at its north end, which was formerly owned by the Sobieski Stuarts and rented by author and Scottish nationalist Compton...
is an island in the river.