Scrap Book

A Victorian View

Extracts from two early books on fishing in Scotland are given below.

The north-east Sutherland area had, until the mid-19th Century, been largely inaccessible to travellers; but the arrival of the railways, and in particular the construction of the first road across the boggy wastes of the Moine, had opened up exciting new possibilities, to which these books were a response. Travelling remained difficult, though, and both authors were keen to draw readers' attention to the problems they were likely to encounter.

The first is from The Salmon Rivers of Scotland, by Augustus Grimble, published in 1899. This book is still widely read today, and early editions are much sought-after.

The second is from The Angler and Tourist's Guide, by Andrew Young, published in 1857. Young was from Invershin, and his book was exclusively concerned with the North Highlands. He was writing before the Sutherland Estate had built the lodges which went with the new sporting establishments they were planning.

There's also a photograph of the Hope ferry, taken around the time Grimble was writing.

Extract from

The Salmon Rivers of Scotland

by Augustus Grimble, published in 1899

The Hope

This river, which drains eighty-one square miles of a most mountainous country, is formed by three small streams rising in the old Reay Forest, not very far from Gobernuisgach Lodge; these uniting form the Hope, which thence flows through Strathmore under the birch-clad slopes of Ben Hope for some seven miles, when it expands into Loch Hope – a lovely sheet of water about six miles long, and varying from two hundred to twelve hundred yards in width. On leaving the loch the river has a further flow of rather less than two miles to the sea, into which it falls on the east side of Loch Erribol – “the little town on a sandy beach.” The angling of the river somewhat resembles that of the Awe, and between the foot of the loch and the sea it goes with Hope Lodge – prettily perched on a high bank overlooking the loch and the top part of the river, a somewhat inaccessible dwelling easiest reached by a yacht, and, failing that, only to be arrived at by a long posting journey of some seventy miles from Lairg, via Altnaharra, Tongue, and the Moin.

This river opens to the rod on the 11th of January and closes on the 10th of September, the netting season being from the 11th of February to the 26th of August. These dates are taken from the latest “Table of Annual Close Times,” printed in the Fishery Board Report. But Duncan Ross, who has been keeper at Hope for several years, maintains that the river remains open to the rod till the 15th of October. Why the salmon rod season of the Hope should commence on the 11th of January is a perfect mystery, for no clean fish are got before the middle of June. The Fishery Board Report of 1884 specially states “this is a late river, and that with it the late rivers begin.” A few pages further on the same Report announces that “the Dionard is the first of the late rivers.” But both statements are erroneous, for, as a matter of fact, the Kinloch is absolutely the farthest east of the late rivers; from Kinloch mouth to the east they are all early, to the west they are all late.

Mr. Archibald Young, a former Inspector of Salmon Fisheries, tried to account for this lateness and earliness by the relative temperatures of the river and the sea water. His theory was that rivers flowing into the German Ocean were early because that sea was a cold one, and that the higher temperature of the fresh water of the rivers tempted fish in search of warmer quarters to enter them early in the year; vice versa, the temperature of the Atlantic, warmed by the Gulf Stream (does it make itself felt as far east as the mouth of the Kinloch?), being warmer than the water of the west-coast rivers, therefore induced the salmon to stay longer in the sea. Mr. Young states that these west-coast streams have short courses, with their fountain-heads at considerable altitudes, and in winter and spring, sometimes even in early summer, they are snow-clad, and then every partial melting brings down torrents of ice-cold water. But surely the amount of snow water that pours down such rivers as Naver, Thurso, Helmsdale, Beauly, Spey, Dee, etc., must be quite as cold as any that comes from the west-coast rivers, for much more snow falls on the east-coast hills than on any of the high grounds of the west coast. The icy water of the north and east coast rivers must also flow more voluminously and continue to run cold for a longer period than any of the shorter streams rushing down Laxford, Inver, Kirkaig, Shiel, or Awe.

Again, on coming to the Lowlands, where there are no high hills and comparatively little snow that lies for any length of time, we find rivers like Doon, Luce, Cree, Dee, Nith, and Annan, all of which are late rivers, but whose waters must surely be of a higher temperature than those of any of the named east and north coast rivers.

Thus, with so many contradictory facts to deal with, I cannot think that either the late Mr. Young or anyone else has at present solved the question as to why some rivers are early and some late.

The best months on the Hope are July and August, and when the river is in full ply an eighteen-foot rod and wading rousers are required. The best killers are Jock Scot and Silver Doctor, dressed on sizes from 2 to 6 Limerick hooks. Between the loch and the sea there are seven good pools, the most noted being “The Stable” and “The House Pool,” and to fish the whole of them, down and back again, is a fair day’s work. For this stretch the average take of salmon and grilse is about forty-five; in 1897 fifty-five were killed, all of which the heaviest was 24 lb. Although disease made its first appearance in 1894, yet the rod take is incomprehensibly small, if it be remembered that there are no bag-nets to the east within twenty miles of Hope Mouth, and none within forty miles on the west, and probably poaching by steam trawlers has something to do with this poor return; while the fact that also the sea trout fishing has been going steadily back for the last four years also points to poaching in some direction.

When there is a spate, fish take the worm freely, although neither phantom nor prawn is of any use. The flies for sea trout should be on the small size, not larger than No.9, and any of the standard patterns will kill; Mallard Wing and Orange Body being the local favourite, together with the March Brown and the Zulu. Salmon are taken in the loch with the fly, both by casting and trolling it; other lures are of no use. The largest sea trout got on the loch was 14 lb., and the heaviest salmon 22 lb. For five years the late Lord Rutherfurd Clark had Hope Lodge, during which period his son, Mr. T. Rutherfurd Clark, averaged from Loch Hope just 1000 lb. Of sea trout each season to his own rod, his best day\s take being one of 57 lb.

Salmon pass right through the loch to ascend the Strathmore River at the head, and there when there is rain, two, three, and four fish a day are sometimes got, while later on this upper water is the chief spawning ground, though fish use both the loch and the river below it.* There are few prettier fisheries in Scotland than those attached to Hope Lodge if the sport could but be largely improved, and with the immunity from bag-nets that the river enjoys, I am quite certain that it only requires careful observation to ensure that desirable end.

With regard to the close time, Duncan Ross writes me as follows: “I have never known a clean fish caught on the Hope before the 12th of June. I am certain it is a late river. Until 1889 it closed on the 10th of September, and I spoke to the late Duke about it. Lord Rutherfurd Clark got permission to fish until the 15th of October in 1889, and certainly the river should not be closed earlier. I am not sure if the Fishery Board comes farther in the county than the Shin, so that the Duke can make local laws as he pleases: at any rate, the Fishery Board has nothing to do with watching the river in this part of the county.”Hitherto my ravelling in these northern regions had been done by posting from place to place at the usual rate of 1s. 3d. a mile, plus threepence per mile more for the driver. Sometimes the jehu was charged for in the hotel bill, sometimes he was not, and before I became aware of this difference in custom, on several occasions I paid the driver his mileage twice over, greatly to his joy and much to my astonishment at his very profuse thanks; it is therefore just as well to ascertain before starting if his fee has been included in the hire bill.

On the day I wished to quit Tongue, the dogcarts had all gone to the various hill lochs with the trout-fishers, so I had perforce to make my first acquaintance with Her Majesty’s mailcart, and in it I started from Tongue to Erribol Ferry, en route to Durness, a cheap and comfortable ride of some twenty-six miles for six shillings, with a tip of half a crown to the well-mannered driver. The same ourney in a dogcart would have cost thirty-nine shillings, so from this time forward I often tried the same method of progression, sometimes successfully, sometimes disastrously. A crowded mailcart on a wet day is horrid, and whatever the weather, it is still more horrid when it carries natives who have taken too much whisky, and who when started produce bottles of it from their pockets and suck at them until they are incapable!

The Hope River is crossed by a ferry-boat working on a chain, and that negotiated, a further drive of two miles brings the traveller to Heulim Ferry on Loch Erribol, which here is some two miles wide. Of course on this day the heavy boat was on the other side, and was it was a dead calm, it was a case of patience while they rowed back. When at length the boat touched shore the luggage was quickly stowed away, and there seemed every prospect of a long pull across. As we started, however, there came a sound as of a gigantic boiling kettle, and a few seconds later half a gale was coming off the sides of Fionavon directly down the loch. Up went our sail, and lucky now that our craft was stoutly built, for it took us five tacks and nearly two hours to reach the opposite shore, and though there was a trap from Durness Hotel waiting to take us the remaining seven miles of the road, it was long past midnight before we reached that comfortable quarter.

*Duncan Ross is my authority for saying that fish spawn in the loch, but ‘I hae ma doubts.’

This photograph of the ferry at the Narrows, where Loch Hope starts its descent to the sea, was probably taken around the time that Grimble described it as "a ferry-boat working on a chain". The Keeper's Cottage is seen to its left, and the Lodge is on the hill above. Young's account was written before the Lodge was built (circa 1875), but he too refers to this ferry.

Extract from

The Angler and Tourist's Guide to the Rivers, Lakes and Remarkable Places in the Northern Counties of Scotland

by Andrew Young, published in 1857.

The author is describing his journey eastwards from Durness, and this extract starts as he passes Loch Eriboll and crosses Heilam towards Hope.

....The hills here are beautifully mingled with rocks and heather, and during summer are pleasant to look upon. On reaching the top of the loch, we pass the farm-house of Eriboll, occupied by Mr. Alexander Clarke, and down a short distance from the top, on the right side of the loch, we arrive at Heilim Inn, being the first inn or house of refreshment after leaving Duirness Inn, a distance of more than twenty miles. However, here we have a comfortable house, clean and well attended, with plenty of good mutton, and fresh herrings in their season. A ferry-boat crosses between Heilim and Ardneacdie, on the west or left sides of the loch. The ferry being about two miles broad, in fine weather travellers often prefer it to making a circuit of the loch. On leaving Heilim, and proceeding three miles onward on the road to Tongue, we arrive at the River Hope, which river is crossed by a chained boat, that carries carriages and horses.

The Hope

This river rises in the deer-forest of Strathmore, and strengthened by the waters from various lochs and burns, forms the River Strathmore, which, during wet weather when the river is flooded, produces fair angling, particularly in the grilse season. A change of sport is thus afforded to parties whose wearied limbs sometimes prevent them following the deer.

The river wends its way through Glenmore, until at last it falls into Loch Hope, whence the river receives its supply of salmon, grilse, and sea trout. Loch Hope is a beautiful sheet of water, in which angling can be prosecuted with great success. Here are abundance of salmon, sea and river trout of various sizes, from the whittling of half a pound to the large loch trout of ten pounds. Nothing is wanting here to produce a splendid day’s sport but a few clouds and a small breeze of wind. The fish are here already, indeed they are always here, and a good angler will soon learn the killing day. The loch is surrounded by fine picturesque mountains, and the lofty Ben Hope stands forth at least 2000 feet above the level of the sea – certainly an admirable mountain, with all the fine scenery at its base. The River Hope issues from Loch Hope, and after descending little more than a mile through a rough and rocky course, it falls into the right side of Loch Eriboll. Great numbers of salmon ascend thus far; but from its rapid course all the way down from this, there are but few good angling pools, and the fish in general push forward until they reach the loch, where, as we stated above, excellent sport may be got. Anglers who intend fishing the river and loch can have good accommodation at Heilim Inn, and for a short time they may put up at the house at Casheldhn, where they are near the loch; but if they wish a supply for the pocket-flask, they must provide themselves before leaving the inn at Heilim, as nothing of that sort can be got up the strath.

On proceeding onward from the River Hope to Tongue, a distance of seven and a half miles, the road goes over what at one time was a dangerous moss and boggy hill, where travelling, during winter or the night-time, was impossible. This road was made at an enormous expense, as the greater part of it had to be founded on wood, carried from long distances on men’s shoulders. About the middle of this bleak hill there is a house erected, called the Moin House, meaning the house on the moss. This house is similar to the Guilen House situated on the bill between Rhiconich and the River Grudie, and has a large slab on one of the gables, with an inscription engraved on it, stating the nature of the hill, by whom the road was made, and who were the managers of the Sutherland property at that time. After passing this hill, we arrive at the Kyle of Tongue, a beautiful arm of the sea, surrounded at its mouth by numerous islands, known as the Rabbit Islands. This kyle is much frequented by salmon and other fish of the salmon kind, and they take a turn through this pleasant water as a rest from the violence of the turbulent North Sea, when on the way to their native rivers. A small river from the hills, called the Kinloch Water, falls into the upper end of the kyle, and here sea-trout and grilse are often caught, and many are seen playing near the mouth of the stream, when its water is too low for large fish to enter. Tongue has to be reached from this side by means of a ferry-boat, and an ugly troublesome ferry it is, as the boat can only cross at certain times of the tide, and travellers have to stand many hours, with cold feet and blue noses, waiting the tide. I hope at some time this difficulty will be remedied by extending a road round the top of the kyle. This would have been impossible to do in the days of General Wade, but it is perfectly practicable by the Duke of Sutherland. When once over this difficult kyle, we arrive at the House of Tongue, once the principal residence of the Lords of Reay.

The house is built in a fine romantic spot, close to the sea. It is surrounded with fine old trees, and well sheltered, and the sight of it recalls to mind the feudal times that are now happily gone by; but, excepting the antiquity of the house, it deserves little more praise, for it is neither in the form of ancient castles, nor in the shop of modern residences. But the situation and the ancestral trees that intermingle with the grounds, and surround the place, are much to be admired. A mile further on we arrive at Kirkiboll, a small village containing an excellent inn, a shop, a post-office, and several other houses. In the church here is the burial-place of the chiefs of the Clan MacKay, as well as of the Lords of Reay. On the hill above Kirkiboll, over which the road passes from this spot, we have an exceedingly fine view of Tongue on the west, Ben Hope to the south-west, and Ben Loyal to the south; nothing can exceed this view in August, when the gold tinge of the heather overspreads these mighty mountains, and the mists of the valley lie like snow-flakes below. A few miles further on, the road, by a stone bridge, crosses the River Borgie.