Poaching on the River Kirkaig

The River Kirkaig in Assynt is famous for fishing, running along a gorge with rocky pools. The Falls of Kirkaig, two miles upstream is a formidable barrier to the further upward migration of salmon and sea trout. If a man was in possession of a net and timed it to trawl the falls pool before they spawned, he could have rich pickings. It would be a dangerous undertaking though to swim a torrent under the falls, pull a heavy net across and then haul it back full of fish. Harder still when the net is so full that two fit young men couldn't even lift it much less carry it the three miles back to the road.

However, if he were to jog back down the path in the darkness (who would ever cast a net in the daytime?) find a horse in a nearby field, he might just about be able to get it back up to the scene of the crime and use it to help carry the catch back to his car - who would ever notice that? No one of course, except the young lass who went to feed her horse the following morning and on finding it missing, set off a full scale search, only to find it tied to a post in the Kirkaig falls car park covered in fish scales.

More information on visiting the area can be found here.