Gella Bridge
Picnic by the river in an open glen
At Gella Bridge, the river feels very different from further downstream. The farmland it flows through is in a wide, open glen, bordered by hills covered in heather moorland. You can picnic right on the riverbank here, watching the play of the water as it tumbles over the rocks.
Wading birds like curlew love the open, wilder country and the meadows near the river, which sometimes flood.
One of our conservation projects has focussed on the Rottal Burn, just upstream from Gella Bridge. Work here has restored the meanders in the burn, reconnected the flood plain with the watercourse, and planted hundreds of native trees. This will help the burn support healthier populations of salmon and trout, as well as increasing its overall biodiversity.
Curlew
Glen Clova
Salmon leaping upstream
Walking and cycling
Ride the glen
The 19 mile (30.5 km) circuit round Glen Clova makes a great cycle trip, with a stop at Gella Bridge for a break. Walkers can potter by the riverside, or head into the hills. From Gella Farm, just up the road, a track heads over to neighbouring Glen Moy (about 6 miles / 9.6 km return trip).
Look out for
Meadowsweet
Between June and September, you might see the creamy-white flowers of meadowsweet in frothy clouds. They love the damp ground of meadows, ditches and riverbanks.
Dipper
Dippers bob up and down on rocks in the middle of the river before disappearing underwater to hunt for insects and small fish.