Lady Balconie And The Black Rock Gorge

Just north of Dingwall, the river Allt Graad has carved a deep, narrow passage through the sandstone, forming the Black Rock Gorge. The channel is surprisingly deep, hiding small caves and dark, cramped corners that never see the light of day.

In the early 17th Century, the lady of Balconie House liked to wander the edges of the Black Rock Gorge every evening. People tended to keep their distance from her, as rumours circled that she had been trained in the black arts of witchcraft. The Lady was left with only her servants for company, eventually taking a shine to one maid in particular.

The special attention made this young girl nervous, but she relied on her job and being shown favour might not be the worst thing in the world. She began to accompany the Lady of Balconie on her evening walks, however, she always kept her distance from the edge of the gorge.

Until one evening when the sun was beginning to set and the Lady of Balconie beckoned her maid to peer over the edge of the dark abyss. She explained that there was a secret path where they could better appreciate how exquisite the view of the cascading water was. As much as the girl valued her job, this was a step too far and no amount of reassurance could force her forward.

Suddenly, the mistress grabbed her maid and began to drag her closer to the precipice. Out of nowhere, a tall gentleman appeared and his voice halted the abduction in its tracks. He informed the Lady of Balconie that her offering didn’t count unless she was a willing participant.

With that, the maid stood in shock as her employer was escorted away into the depths of the Black Rock Gorge. Just before disappearing, the Lady turned and threw the keys to Balconie to the girl and the mark where they landed on a rock can still be seen.

Legend says that the Lady of Balconie had sold her soul to the Devil and is still trapped down there in a cavern, hidden away from prying eyes. When the mist rises out of the Black Rock Gorge, that’s not simply spray from the tumbling water. That’s smoke coming from the Lady’s fire while she bakes bannocks for her master.