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I've just returned to the U.S. from a very good vacation in Scotland. My visit was nearly three weeks. I've travelled to Skye with friends twice before, and for this trip I wanted to go ahead of them and do some of my own things, which is paddling. Over here in the states, I work for a whitewater rafting company called North American River Runners. We were recently accqired by a larger firm called Ace Adventure Resort. Doing web-based research for my upcoming trip, I discovered that there was a U.K.-based company called Ace Adventures as well. After some e-mail exchanges, I was invited to come visit my "cousins" as it were and go boating with them. So for the first week of my trip I was near Forres and got to paddle on the Rivers Findhorn and Moriston, as well as hike along the River Divie right by where I was staying. Here's some views of the Divie from a trail that started right in front of the cottage I stayed in:
The River Divie empties into the River Findhorn just below Randolph's Leap. I learned that Randolph, Earl of Moray didn't actually make the leap, but Alistair Bane did instead, to escape the Earl's men after a savage battle. The Earl then besieged Bane's boyhood home Dunphail Castle, which is a short detour from the trail alongside the river:
Alistair Bane was able to sneak into enemy lines and get food to his Castle, only to be pursued and cornered in this cave, where he was ultimately burned to death, as it was only a small cave:
Much more pleasant is the gardens of Dunphail estate:
Here are some pics of Randolph's Leap taken from the River Findhorn:
Other views along the River Findhorn:
This stag on an outing makes his own leap:
Some of me having fun:
We also made a the journey up to Loch Ness and Invermoriston to catch the dam-released whitewater of the River Moriston. I found this stream very engaging: