So, after twice trying to get a run down the River Fechlin (Abhainn Fhaichlinn in Gaelic) but having to go elsewhere due to a lack of water, today was the day.

The Tarff was running high on www.wheresthewater.com ^[1] and that meant only one thing, the Fechlin was sure to be running – at a runable level at least!

While the new hydro scheme means that the river needs a good dump of water to run, it’s far from wrecked it completely and when the skies have been pouring for a couple of days over the Monadh Liath, Loch Killin (home to some glacial relics: Arctic Char) spills over and the Fechlin comes online.

It’s pretty much Grade 4(4+), with some scrapy grade 2/3 in between; a fantastic run though. The levels today were low/medium, so it was tight and technical at times, but most features had a couple of lines/options.

There are some lovely little drops, on this river, some nice tight sections, a lot of rocks to dodge and a few bits of water that catch you by surprise, but it’s all good. Apart from hurricane force winds wipping up the glen at times (it can be VERY cold up there), and not forgetting Dave Young’s textbook pin on the biggie near the end (the one with the huge rock in the centre of the flow), all was good and some sweet moves were made by many!

Hopefully some photos and video will follow soon, but for now, here’s the low-down on UKRGB:

www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=612:scotlandfarnorth-fechlin&catid=31&Itemid=117 ^[2]