Overview of Corrieshalloch Gorge, The

The spectacular Corrieshalloch Gorge is located 1¼ miles (2 km) south of Braemore (Highland) and 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Ullapool. The gorge exceeds a mile (1.5 km) in length and is 61m (200 feet) deep. Within this steep-sided ravine the River Droma plunges 46m (150 feet) over the Falls of Measach. The area was designated a National Nature Reserve (NNR) in 1967 and confirmed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1984, having both geological and botanical interest. The gorge is the result of rapid erosion of hard metamorphic Moine schists by glacial melt-waters of 10-13,000 years ago, which exploited local fractures in the rock. A rich flora of ferns, mosses and liverworts can be found on the walls of the gorge and the boulders of the river bed. The woodland above the gorge includes a further diversity of tree and plant species.

The gorge is managed jointly by the National Trust for Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, who are replacing the non-native conifers with native tree species, including Scots Pine, and have undertaken a programme to eradicate invasive Rhododendrons.

The suspension foot-bridge a short distance downstream from the falls was built by Sir John Fowler (1817-98), architect of the Forth Railway Bridge, who bought Braemore Lodge and estate in 1867 and owned it for more than 30 years. The gorge, together with 14 ha (35 acres) of land surrounding it, were given to the National Trust for Scotland in 1945 by Mr John Joseph Calder. A further 13 ha (32 acres) adjacent were acquired from the Forestry Commission in 1994.