James MacKenzie
Why Rivers Deserve Your Full Attention
In the Scottish Highlands, a burn that trickled past your boots on the way up can be a thundering torrent by the time you come back down. Rain falls hard and fast on these hills, and catchments drain quickly. A river crossing is one of the few moments on a hill day when a poor decision can have immediate, serious consequences. That is not a reason to stay at home, but it is a reason to slow down, think clearly, and treat every crossing as a proper piece of navigation rather than an inconvenience between you and the car.
The good news is that most crossings are straightforward when you read the water well and prepare properly. Here is how to do it.
Look for a Safe Crossing
The first rule is simple: cross where the water is shallow, slow and wide, not where it is deep, fast and narrow. A broad, shallow section — often where a burn spreads across a gravel flat or braided channel — gives you far more margin for error than a tight, dark gully that funnels the flow.
Walk upstream and downstream before committing. Ten minutes spent searching for a better line is time well spent.
- Widen your options: look for gravel bars, shingle spits, or a place where the channel splits into several smaller threads.
- Avoid the obvious traps: steep-sided banks, boulder chokes, plunge pools below waterfalls and anything with a smooth, glassy surface — that usually means deep, fast water.
- Check the exit: it is no use finding a good entry point if the far bank is a vertical wall of peat or a tangle of roots. Plan your way out before you step in.
- Use the map: footbridges and fords are marked on Ordnance Survey sheets, but never assume a marked ford is passable in spate.
If the water is opaque and brown, you cannot see the bed. Treat every step as unknown and probe ahead with a pole or stick. Remember that Highland rivers rise and fall quickly, so a crossing that was easy at 9am may be impassable by mid-afternoon after rain on the hills above.
Prepare Before You Step In
Most accidents at fords happen because people enter the water still fully kitted for walking, with a heavy pack strapped tight. Take a moment to get ready.
- Unfasten your pack waist belt and sternum strap. If you fall, you need to be able to shed the pack quickly. A rucksack full of water is heavy and can hold you under.
- Loosen shoulder straps so the pack can be slipped off with one movement.
- Use poles for balance. Two poles give you a third and fourth point of contact. Plant each pole upstream of your body so the current pushes it against the bed rather than sweeping it away.
- Consider your footwear. Boots give grip and protect your feet from sharp rocks; sandals or bare feet give less purchase and more risk of injury. Most hillwalkers keep their boots on.
- Roll up or remove loose layers, and put anything valuable in a dry bag inside your pack.
If you are in a group, cross one at a time, or link arms in a line facing upstream with the strongest person on the upstream side, using each other for support. Never let one person cross alone while the rest watch from the bank without a plan.
Technique in the Water
Face upstream and shuffle sideways, moving one foot at a time without lifting it clear of the bed. This keeps three points of contact and lets you feel for hollows before you commit your weight. Keep your knees slightly bent, your weight back, and your eyes on the far bank rather than down at your feet.
Choose a diagonal line, angling slightly downstream as you go. This uses the current to help you rather than fight it. Move slowly, breathe steadily, and do not rush — cold water shocks the system and steals coordination fast.
Know When to Turn Back
This is the most important skill of all, and the hardest. No summit, bothy or photograph is worth a serious incident. Turn back if:
- The water is above knee height and moving quickly, or above mid-thigh at all.
- The current is fast enough to carry debris — look for branches and pebbles rolling along the bed.
- You cannot see the bottom, or you cannot find a safe exit on the far side.
- The water is loud enough that you would struggle to shout to your companion over it.
- You are cold, tired, alone, or losing daylight.
Turning around is a decision, not a defeat. Walk out to a bridge, take a longer route, or simply come back another day. The hills will still be there.
A Word on Wildlife and Cameras
Riverbanks are wonderful places for wildlife. Dippers bob on stones midstream, grey wagtails flit along the shingle, and herons stand motionless in the shallows. Otters use the same gravel spits you are eyeing as a crossing. If you are carrying a camera, keep it in a dry bag and out of the way until you are safely across — never try to steady a tripod in moving water.
Photograph the crossing from the bank, not from the middle. A long exposure of a Highland burn in spate makes a fine image, and you will get it without risking a soaking. Give wildlife space, keep dogs under close control near spawning gravels in autumn and winter, and leave the river as you found it.
Cross well, and the wet feet are just part of a good day out.
