Kyle of Sutherland

When I was little (40 years ago) there were a number of salmon 'beats' along this tidal river. Small teams of men would cast a net from a rowing boat and haul in great numbers of salmon and trout. I remember the excitement of watching and waiting to see what they'd caught. It was a big tourist attraction. My brother worked it one season before he went away to university and said how lovely it was to be out on the water in the early mornings and see the sun rising. Nowadays, though, a solitary fisherman is lucky if he catches one or two fish over a number of days.