Black Rock Gorge

Black Rock is a geological marvel, lying a few kilometres from Evanton on the edge of a community woodland.  It spans 1.5km in length, but reaches 36 metres (120 feet) in steep drops.  Abseiling is popular at this destination, but you must be experienced and not frightened of being closed in. 

It is a cleft formed in the River Glass (Allt Graad in Gaelic) and is in old red sandstone.  It happened due to rapids carrying sediment upwards as part of the thawing after the Ice Ages. 

The Black Rock Gorge is a place of legend and local myth.  Lady of Balconie, a local noblewoman was lured to her death by a mysterious man, thought to be the Devil himself.  Ever since then if you listen carefully you might hear the cries she utters from the top of the gorge.  Very eerie indeed!

Latterly though, in 2004, ten days of filming took place in the woodland area and gorge is in one of the scenes from the film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Also the novelist James Robertson was inspired by Black Rock Gorge, to write his award-winning novel, The Testament of Gideon Mack… well worth a read.