WITH discarded rubbish, blockages of woody debris and the all-pervasive Japanese knotweed along its banks, the Bridge End Burn at Beauly would appear to offer little attraction to fish.
But surprisingly this neglected watercourse does support some species although perhaps not in the same volume as in the past when it teemed with trout and salmon, according to older members of the community.
Now there are plans to transform it into a demonstration of good practice in restoring and maintaining a community asset with the help of local residents, landowners and anglers.
The plans to re-create a salmon and trout run are part of a wider project being led by the Ness and Beauly Fisheries Trust to improve other neglected watercourses in the Beauly catchment area.
Much work has already been carried out on the Erchless Burn in Strathglass, for example, to remove timber blockages which can prevent fish movement. Measures are also being explored for the removal of non-native plants including rhododendron.
Trust biologist Keith Williams explained the Bridge End Burn scheme is still in its early stages although he is already getting positive feedback from the groups such as the local angling club and community council which are keen to be involved.
"I think the general background is to try to get the river system as a whole to support as big a population as possible of fish and other aquatic animals as possible so to that end we are trying to re-open burns which have got barriers and improve the habitat and spawning potential of the river," he said.
"What people don’t realise is for sea trout, in particular, the small burns are very important. They seem to do better in smaller places."
Previous surveys have shown the water quality in the Beauly area is generally very good, while electro-fishing surveys have revealed the presence of fish — this involves putting an electric current through the water which stuns the fish so they can be netted and recorded without doing them any permanent damage.
The next step towards the rehabilitating the Bridge End Burn is to carry out a habitat survey to establish the spread of non-native plants plus an engineering assessment. "It depends on what we find as to what happens after that," Mr Williams said who acknowledges some funding will have to found.
One section of the burn, for example, close to the main A862. has been covered over by a path. Mr Williams wonders whether it could be uncovered and a bridge installed as a feature.
He is hopeful, however, of harnessing community help for some of the work. "We can do a lot without much money and some manpower," he said.
"It is only a small burn but it runs right through the centre of Beauly. We would like to see the community take ownership of it. There is a lot going for it, it just needs looking after a bit better."
Talks are also taking place with landowners about removing blockages which have emerged over the years and so far, feedback has been promising.
Mr Williams explains why he regards the Bridge End Burn as a key element in the much broader scheme. "It is a small burn but it is important as it could act as a nice demonstration project of best practice and doing lots of things together involving the angling club, the community and the agricultural community."
The idea of its restoration has been taken up enthusiastically by the Beauly Angling Club which has 96 senior members and 10 junior members.
Club president Paul Pacey said older members of the club can remember seeing trout in the Beauly burns when they were youngsters. He welcomes the prospect of potential improvements to their spawning grounds.
"It would true to say the sea trout is the poor relation of salmon," he said. "While a lot of attention has been focused on salmon over time, sea trout by comparison has been relatively neglected.
"The sea trout forms a very important part of our angling in that the lower stretches of the river are tidal."
Apart from the fishing interests, the project also has the support of community representatives.
Tony Boyland, Beauly Community Council chairman, said his members had been impressed with a recent presentation given by Mr Williams.
"We share his aspirations," he said. "We are going to try and support it in whatever way we can. "When it gets down to the fine detail, we hope we can some volunteers to work on it."
Mr Boyland describes the burn as a great asset for both local residents and visitors to Beauly but acknowledges improvements are required.
He is concerned about sections of the path alongside the burn, which forms part of the Cnoc-Na-Rath countryside walk, are crumbling away and silting up the burn. "That is just one of the problems and something like that is a bit more specialist," he said.
He hopes that outstanding issues over its long-term maintenance will be resolved following the adoption of Highland Council’s core paths plan in which the path features.
"Adoption and upgrading these core paths would fit in nicely with Beauly and Ness Fisheries Trust and Beauly’s aspirations to improve access for visitors and residents as well," he said.
Looking to the longer term, he hopes other overgrown sections of footpaths by the River Beauly can be cleared to form an extensive network around the area.
