DUBH LIGHE

See page 129 of the Scottish Guidebook.

Drive away from Fort William on the Road to the Isles, past the Fassfern and beyond the junction with the A861. After a couple of miles you cross the river. Park on the right by an old bridge and walk up the track. Take a right fork down to the river and a bridge. If you don't fancy the first rapid then you can get on further down on river left.

Needs a bit of water. In huge spate it would be pretty full-on! If the Nevis is scrapey and the Fassfern not quite high enough, this might go. However, don't do it if it's dry.........

As you walk across the bridge at the top, the first drop is just downstream. It looks pretty nasty, but goes quite sweetly. I wouldn't fancy getting pinned on the right hand wall or stuck in the hole, but avoiding the hole is pretty staightforward.

The next couple of kilometres are full of tight, technical exciting drops. Highlights include a lovely slab which seems designed for splats and spins, and a double drop with rocks everywhere. Keep an eye out for a drop which falls into a tight cauldron: this is all undercut and water sumps through. Trees are also a problem, I seem to remember one tree blockage.

Another drop follows, with much of the water slamming into the right wall. A line down the left is possible in higher water. The final drop is great; a twelve-foot drop into a lovely clean pool. Watch out for the hole here though. Excellent!

Back to the FORT WILLIAM rivers page.