This short woodland walk from Evanton visits the Black Rock Gorge, an unexpectedly dramatic box canyon which featured in the film of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Summary
Paths and tracks through the woods, muddy in places. Great care is needed near the edge of the gorge. The return walk follows a minor road.
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1. Park in the car park opposite the Cornerstone Bookshop in the centre of Evanton. There is an information board giving details on a number of short walks from here. To begin the walk, turn right out of the car park and follow the road past the Novar Arms Hotel and across the bridge over the Allt Graad. The gentle, pebbly river at this point gives no hint of the drama upstream. On the far side, turn left up the minor road. Continue up the minor road, with views back over the Cromarty Firth. There were once a couple of paths which went off from the left of this road, leading down to the river, but one of these was blocked by a landslip and the second, immediately after a passing place, involves stepping over fallen trees, though it is still passable and makes the most scenic option if you don't mind the obstacles. It then leads upstream beside the gorge to rejoin the other route at the bridges.
2. Otherwise continue on the tarmac until shortly after the entrance to Balavoulin cottage on the right, and turn left down an initially wide path into the woods. Ignore a turn-off to the left by a boulder and continue on the main path, which is muddy in places, along the edge of the woods. Another path off left leads to the first bridge over the unseen gorge, but it is better to continue ahead to the second bridge where the woods narrow fields almost reach the edge of the gorge. The scene looks placid enough until you are on the wooden footbridge itself, and look down. So narrow is the gorge that you might expect to see just a small stream below the bridge, but instead there is a dark chasm with the water over a hundred feet below. The sandstone rocks are strangely contorted and the gorge has an eerie, magical atmopshere - a fitting place to film a scene for the Harry Potter movies. So narrow is the gorge that it is extremely difficult to photograph - but it must be seen.
3. On the far side, turn left along the gorge, which is fenced at first (it is not fenced to the right of the bridge - if venturing upriver great care is needed). After a short distance the other bridge is passed, and it is worth venturing onto it for another view down though the path continues on thw est bank. The path now climbs away from the river a little and emerges on a wider track; turn left and continue through the woods.
4. There are good views down to the river as the track heads back towards Evanton. Keep left at at a junction of tracks before the way becomes walled and leads into the village. Continue past the houses and turn left at the little Give Way sign. Do spare a glance up this street to the right as it ends in Evanton's most attractive building, a former chapel now converted to a private house. Continue down the road to return to the car park.
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