Randolph's Leap (also known as the Brig of Rannoch) is an

SSSI A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

and area of countryside in

Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

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 area surrounds the

River Findhorn The River Findhorn () is one of the longest rivers in Scotland. Located in the north east, it flows into the Moray Firth on the north coast. It has one of the largest non-firth estuary, estuaries in Scotland. The river is c.

and is named after the point at the river where the sheer rock banks are closest. According to legend, Randolph's Leap was the site of a battle in the 1300s in which Thomas Randolph, later Earl of Moray, was pursuing a Comyn who leaped to the other side and escaped back to his castle. The Comyn castle fell, and the lands were granted by King Robert to Randolph. The name gradually changed from Comyn's Leap to Randolph's Leap. The nearest settlement is Logie House, a steading from where walks along the side of the river can be taken. This part of the Findhorn is renowned for its dramatic rocks, cliffs and

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

s, and peaceful surrounding pine forest. Randolph's Leap is also an important wildlife area, with

lesser black-backed gull The lesser black-backed gull (''Larus fuscus'') is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. However, it has increased dramatically in North America, especi ...

woodpeckers Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. ...

and

red squirrels The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been o ...

References

See also