River Sgitheach also known as Skiach or Skiack, (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...

''Abhainn Sgitheach'', "

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

River") () is a river in

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the l ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. It rises on the southern slopes of

Ben Wyvis Ben Wyvis ( gd, Beinn Uais) is a mountain in Easter Ross, in the northern Highlands of Scotland. It lies north-west of Dingwall, in the council area of Highland, and the county of Ross and Cromarty. Ben Wyvis is a large winding and undul ...

, passes through

Strath Sgitheach A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen, which is typically narrower and deep). Word and etymology An anglicisation of the Gaelic word ''srath'', it is one of many that have been ab ...

, passing Clare plantation, Swordale, the village of

Evanton Evanton ( gd, Baile Eòghainn or gd, Am Baile Ùr) is a small village in Easter Ross, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies between the River Sgitheach and the Allt Graad, is north of Inverness, some south-west of Alness, an ...

, and after about empties into the

Cromarty Firth The Cromarty Firth (; gd, Caolas Chrombaidh ; literally "kyles /nowiki>straits">strait.html" ;"title="/nowiki>strait">/nowiki>straitsof Cromarty") is an arm of the Moray Firth in Scotland. Geography The entrance to the Cromarty Firth is gu ...

near the ruin of the old

Kiltearn Kiltearn (Gaelic: ''Cill Tighearna'') is a parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It is in the Presbytery of Ross. The principal settlement is the village of Evanton, and the parish extends almost to Dingwall and about halfway to Alness. T ...

parish church. About a mile to the northeast, on the other side of Balconie Point, the

Allt Graad The Allt Graad (: Ugly Stream) or River Glass is a river in Easter Ross, Highland, Scotland. It is named on Ordnance Survey maps variously as Allt Graad and River Glass. It has also been known as the "Allt Grande", and the archaic Anglicization, "A ...

also empties in the Firth. The ruin that lies on the beach between the two rivers is an old salmon fishing bothy of the

Novar Novar may refer to: Companies *Novar plc - the international conglomerate based in the United Kingdom, that was acquired in 2005 by Honeywell. * Novar Controls - a subsidiary of Honeywell, and former subsidiary of Novar plc. Places *Novar House, ...

Estate. During the summer the water level falls but the river remains an obstacle and even at traditional fords it is difficulty to get across with dry feet. There are five bridges: an estate bridge in

; the B817 road bridge as the road enters Evanton; the railway bridge; the A9 main road bridge; and a wooden footbridge only 100 yards before the river meets the sea. Evanton waste water treatment plant is on the banks of the river between the A9 and the sea. The river was formerly anglicised as either "Skiach" or "Skiack", but the Gaelic spelling is used by the

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was ...

name and that of

Highland Council The Highland Council (' ), the political body covering the Highland (council area), Highland Local authorities of Scotland, local authority created in 1995, comprises 21 wards, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable v ...

. It is pronounced like SKEE-ach. The river game its name to the now-demolished Glenskiach distillery, which was near Milton of Katewell.

External links

Map
Sgitheach Ross and Cromarty {{Scotland-river-stub