Linn of Quoich

Linn of Quoich is a rugged waterway where the River Quoich squeezes through narrow rocky channels a few miles west of Braemar. The water comes down in a run of rapids, small falls and clear pools, with pine trees and heather around it. The feature most people come to see is the Punch Bowl, a round hole worn straight through the flat rock beside the channel. Local legend ties it to the Earl of Mar, who is said to have filled it with spirit to toast the Jacobites in 1715. You see it best from the footbridge over the narrowest point or from the rocky shoreline on the far side. To capture the moving water, soft overcast light works better than bright sun, which blows out the white spray and throws harsh shadows under the trees. A slow shutter smooths the flow and brings out the shape of the channel and the pools. There is plenty to frame beyond the Punch Bowl too, with the pines, the worn rock and the pools giving you options up and down the river. Plus there is a small stone picnic cottage, built around 1850 by Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's granddaughter, that has been restored by the National Trust for Scotland. This area generally stays much quieter than the nearby Linn of Dee, though on a sunny summer day you will have to be patient and shoot around other visitors. (Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland)