The River Deveron () is a river in the north east of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The river has a length of , and has a reputation for its

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...

sea trout Sea trout is the common name usually applied to anadromous (sea-run) forms of brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), and is often referred to as ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''trutta''. Other names for anadromous brown trout are bull trout, sewin (Wales ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

fishing. In its upper reaches peaty water flows over a bottom of shingle and rock and is fast flowing. Before being bridged at Banff, the river had to be crossed by "an uncertain ferry which would have landed you somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Old Market Place". The first bridge, built in 1765, was swept away three years later, followed in 1773 by the sinking of the ferry. A new one, designed by

John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent scholar, who introduced various ...

, was completed in 1779.

Course

The river has its source in the

Ladder Hills The Ladder Hills () are a range of hills in northeast Scotland which straddle the border between Aberdeenshire and Moray and form a part of the Grampian Mountains. The highest point of the range is Càrn Mòr at , which is classed as a Corbett; ...

between Glenbuchat and the

Cabrach The Cabrach () is an estate and largely depopulated rural community in Moray, Scotland. The meaning of the name has been much disputed. Traditionally it is held to mean "timber moss", though this has no recognisable counterpart in Scottish Gael ...

, part of the Grampian range. It begins as a small highland stream among peaty and heather covered country before leaving the hills and entering the rolling lowlands of fertile farmland. The two main streams in its upper course are the Alt Deveron and the Black Water. Some 17 miles downstream from the river's source, the river passes through the town of

Huntly Huntly ( or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlements include Keith ...

, where it is joined by its tributary, the

River Bogie The River Bogie (), also known as the Water of Bogie, is a river in north-west Aberdeenshire in the north east of Scotland. It is noted for its brown trout fishing. Starting with the confluence of the Craig and Corchinan burns near the parish o ...

. Four miles further downstream the Deveron's second tributary, the River Isla flows in from the northwest. From this point on the Deveron becomes a mature river, pursuing a winding course through

Turriff Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is deriv ...

and finally flowing into the

Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; , or ) is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of the north of Scotland. It is the largest firth in Scotland, stretching from Duncans ...

between the twin towns of Banff and Macduff.

In literature

The Deveron is "the dark-rolling stream Duvranna" of

James Macpherson James Macpherson ( Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector, and politician. He is known for the Ossian cycle of epic poems, which he ...

's ''

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora (poem), Temora'' (1763), and later c ...

''.Glass, Aberdeenshire: The Story of a Parish, James Godsman, 1970

References

External links

Deveron Deveron 0Deveron Banff and Buchan {{Scotland-river-stub