Randolph's Leap – A River Walk in the Findhorn Gorge
About 2.2 miles on foot.
South of Forres the River Findhorn runs dark and fast through a wooded gorge, and at Randolph's Leap the whole river is squeezed into one narrow, noisy channel of rock.
The Logie Estate has a signed walk to it from Logie Steading, 3.5 km there and back, and it's at its loveliest when the leaves turn in autumn. Give it an hour and a half, and finish at the steading's café.
- Time
- About an hour and a half: 3.5 km (2 miles) there and back from Logie Steading, part of it along the B9007 road.
- The path
- Narrow paths, steep-sided in places, and a stretch beside a public road. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- The car park at Logie Steading. Free.
- When to go
- All year in daylight; best in autumn colour or a day or two after rain, when the river is up. From November to January set off by 1.30pm.
- Dogs
- On a lead near the edge and beside the road.
- Children
- A good walk for children who will stay on the path. Keep them well back from the water. There is a playground at the steading.
- Before you set out
- The paths are narrow and steep-sided in places, and the river runs fast below them. The leap can also be reached from the B9007, where there is a map board.
The walk
Park at Logie Steading, the old farm steading of the Logie Estate, south of Forres. The car park is free. The estate has two signed river walks from here. The short one is 1 km. The one to Randolph's Leap is 3.5 km there and back, and an hour and a half is comfortable. Part of it is along the B9007 road, so watch for traffic there. The paths are narrow and steep-sided in places, so they're not for a wheelchair or a pushchair, and they want boots after rain.
The Findhorn runs through a deep, wooded gorge here, and at Randolph's Leap the river is forced through its narrowest point in a rush of dark water. The name is a muddle. In the 14th century Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, fell out with the Cummings, the rangers of the forest of Darnaway. When Alastair Cumming and his men were ambushed, four of them got away by jumping the gorge. So the leap was the Cummings', and Randolph got the name. Two flood stones on the walk show how high the water came in August 1829. After three days of rain in the Monadhliath hills, the river rose as much as 50 feet above its usual level.
Look out for red squirrels and woodpeckers in the trees. The current is strong and the banks drop straight in, so keep children and dogs well back from the edge. The steading has a café, shops, a playground and toilets for afterwards. Ring the café on 01309 611733 for its winter hours. From November to January, set off by 1.30pm.
If it rains
The woods give some shelter and the river is at its most dramatic after rain, but the narrow paths turn slippery. In a downpour, do the 1 km short river walk and go back to the steading.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Culbin Edge, 6 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Mon 9 Nov to Wed 11 Nov.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Ian Foster via Google