The River Deveron ( gd, Uisge Dubh Èireann), known anciently as the Dovern, is a river in the north east of

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 river has a length of , and has a reputation for its

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...

sea trout Sea trout is the common name usually applied to anadromous (sea-run) forms of brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), and is often referred to as ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''trutta''. Other names for anadromous brown trout are sewin (Wales), peel or peal ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...

fishing. In its upper reaches peaty water flows over a bottom of shingle and rock and is fast flowing. Before being bridged at Banff, the river had to be crossed by "an uncertain ferry which would have landed you somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Old Market Place". The first bridge, built in 1765, was swept away three years later, followed in 1773 by the sinking of the ferry. A new one, designed by

John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was a British civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. Smeaton was the fi ...

, was completed in 1779.

Course

The river has its source in the

Ladder Hills The Ladder Hills ( gd, Monadh an Fhàraidh) are a range of hills in northeast Scotland which straddle the border between Aberdeenshire and Moray and form a part of the Grampian Mountains. The highest point of the range is Càrn Mòr at , which is ...

between Glenbuchat and the

Cabrach The Cabrach ( gd, A' Chabrach, A' Chabraich) is an estate and largely depopulated rural community in Moray, Scotland. The meaning of the name has been much disputed. Traditionally it is held to mean "timber moss", though this has no recognisable ...

, part of the Grampian range. It begins as a small highland stream among peaty and heather covered country before leaving the hills and entering the rolling lowlands of fertile farmland. The two main streams in its upper course are the Alt Deveron and the Black Water. Some 17 miles downstream from the river's source, the river passes through the town of

Huntly Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settleme ...

, where it is joined by its tributary, the River Bogie. Four miles further downstream the Deveron's second tributary, the River Isla flows in from the northwest. From this point on the Deveron becomes a mature river, pursuing a winding course through

Turriff Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is derived f ...

and finally flowing into the

Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Sc ...

between the twin towns of Banff and Macduff.

In literature

The Deveron is "the dark-rolling stream Duvranna" of

James Macpherson James Macpherson (Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poem ...

's ''

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined unde ...

''.Glass, Aberdeenshire: The Story of a Parish, James Godsman, 1970

References

External links

Deveron Deveron 0Deveron {{Scotland-river-stub