The Falls of Clyde is the collective name of four ''linn'' ( Scots: ''waterfalls'') on the River Clyde near New Lanark,

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

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 the ...

. The Falls of Clyde comprise the upper falls of Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, Dundaff Linn, and the lower falls of Stonebyres Linn. Corra Linn is the highest, with a fall of . Bonnington Linn (fall of ), Corra Linn and Dundaff Linn (fall of ) are above New Lanark and located within the Falls of Clyde Reserve managed by the

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, registered charity dedicated to conserving the Natural history of Scotland, wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well ...

, a national

nature conservation Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values unde ...

charity. Stonebyres Linn is located several miles downstream from the reserve and New Lanark.

History

The area has long been a popular destination for visitors. The Wordsworths, Coleridge and Sir Walter Scott all visited the Falls. In 1802,

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

immortalised Corra Linn, the largest of the waterfalls, in verse. Corra Linn has also been painted by a number of artists, including

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...

. The name comes from the Gaelic 'currach', a marshy place. A legend gives 'Cora' as a daughter of King Malcolm II, who leapt to her death here whilst trying to escape imagined danger. Near Corra Linn is the Pavilion, built by Sir John Carmichael of Bonnington, probably in 1708. The Pavilion had mirrors on its back wall, and when the doors were opened visitors had the illusion of standing beneath the falls. The 15th-century

Corra Castle Corra Castle (also known as Corrax, Corax or Corehouse Castle) is a ruined 16th-century castle within the Corehouse Estate near New Lanark, Scotland. It overlooks Corra Linn, one of the four waterfalls which make up the Falls of Clyde. In 1967 ...

is next to Corra Linn. It is now home to a good number of Daubenton's bat and of some Natterer's and

whiskered bat The whiskered bat (''Myotis mystacinus'') is a small European bat with long fur. Although uncommon, ''M. mystacinus'' is often found around human habitation and around water; it is similar to Brandt's bat (''Myotis brandtii''), from which it wa ...

s. Corra is Gaelic for "weir", and as Corra Castle's early history is vague, some historians believe it was an early possession of the Weirs, the principal landowning family in the county after the

dukes of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

from the 13th to 19th centuries.

Corehouse Corehouse is a country house and estate, located to the south of Lanark, Scotland. The estate is by the Corra Linn Falls on the River Clyde, and close to the World Heritage Site of New Lanark. The house was designed by Sir Edward Blore for Geor ...

, built in 1844, the home of the Cranstoun family, is nearby. At Stonebyres Linn the ruins of 15th-century

Stonebyres Castle Stonebyres was an estate and country house in Lanarkshire, Scotland, belonging to the Weir, or de Vere, family from earliest recorded history. The Weir-de Veres were a cadet branch of the Weir family of Blackwood but were a powerful and sometimes ...

may be seen.

Falls of Clyde Site of Special Scientific Interest

The Falls of Clyde Site of Special Scientific Interest (formerly the Corehouse Nature Reserve), a part of the

Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve The Clyde Valley Woodlands National nature reserve (Scotland), National Nature Reserve (NNR) comprises six separate woodland sites in the Clyde Valley region of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. These six sites are located along a 12 km section o ...

, is an area of mixed woodland, including semi-natural native oakwoods and some areas of conifer plantation. It provides suitable habitat for badgers,

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

, and over 100 species of bird. The site is well known for its resident breeding pair of

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

s, which are protected during the breeding season by Operation Peregrine, providing security for the birds and a chance for the public to view the birds through scopes and CCTV. On 22 October 2011 at 1500 GMT a very rare pine marten was spotted within the reserve and was photographed. Within the reserve the Clyde River is suitable habitat for otters and kingfishers as well as the protected brook lamprey. The Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre, operated by the

, features exhibits about the waterfalls, the woodland and the area animals, including a special

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

display.

Hydro-electric power

The

Lanark Hydro Electric Scheme The Lanark Hydro Electric Scheme refers to two hydroelectric plants in the Clydesdale area of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. They take in water from the Falls of Clyde. The two plants are known as Bonnington Power Station which takes in water fro ...

is situated between Corra Linn and Dundaff Linn, with a water inlet at Bonnington Linn, and is considered the oldest of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The scheme was conceived in 1925 under the chairmanship of Sir Edward MacColl and was completed in 1927 as the first hydro-electric power station in Scotland. The power station at

Stonebyres Stonebyres was an estate and country house in Lanarkshire, Scotland, belonging to the Weir, or de Vere, family from earliest recorded history. The Weir-de Veres were a cadet branch of the Weir family of Blackwood but were a powerful and sometimes ...

was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer (who also acted as design advisor to the committee looking at the overall concept). The plant generates approximately eleven megawatts of power. Another hydro-electric power station is situated near Stonebyres Linn, about three miles south of Corra Linn. This generates approximately six megawatts of power. Both stations are owned and operated by Scottish Power.

Clyde Walkway

The

Clyde walkway The Clyde Walkway is a foot and mountain bike path which runs from Glasgow, Scotland, to just above the UNESCO World Heritage Site of New Lanark. The path runs close to the River Clyde for most of its length. It was completed in 2005, and is no ...

long-distance path passes all four falls and ends at Bonnington Linn.

Maps

Annotated map of Lanark, New Lanark and Falls of Clyde

References

Historical Tours in the Clyde Valley. Published by the Clyde Valley Tourist Association and the Lanark & District Archaeological Association. Printed by Robert MacLehose and Company Limited, Renfrew, Scotland. 1982.

External links

Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve

Visitor Center

* {{authority control River Clyde Clyde Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Clydesdale and South East Glasgow Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Nature centres in Scotland