| Kyle Of Sutherland | |
| Other Name: | "The Kyle" |
| Location: | From Rosehall to Bonar Bridge |
| Type: | Estuary |
| Inflow: | River Carron, Loch Shin, River Cassley, River Oykel |
| Outflow: | Dornoch Firth |
| Pushpin Map: | Scotland Highland |
| Cities: | Bonar Bridge, Ardgay, Rosehall, Culrain |
The Kyle of Sutherland (Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: An Caol Catach) is a river estuary that separates Sutherland from Ross-shire. It flows into the Dornoch Firth at Bonar Bridge, and is fed by the rivers Oykel, Shin, River Cassley and Carron.
The downstream extent[1] of the Kyle of Sutherland is the eponymous bridge at Bonar Bridge. The upstream end of 'the Kyle' as it is locally known, is the furthest inland extent of tidal water,[2] which corresponds to 'the bailey bridge', beyond Rosehall.
The Kyle did separate Sutherland and Ross-shire for centuries until 1975[3] [4] [5] when the old Scottish counties were abolished. The counties of Sutherland and Ross became districts of the Highland Region, with altered boundaries. As a result of this, the Kyle became wholly part of Sutherland, though most locals continue to refer to the original boundaries.
| 1892 Kyle of Sutherland flooding |
| Location: | Bonar Bridge |
| Damages: | Bonar Bridge collapsed |
The first Bonar Bridge was built in 1812 after the Battle of Culloden; it was engineered by Thomas Telford. Eighty years later, the bridge was swept away by a flood on 29 January 1892, a winter of many great floods in the North of Scotland. It has been suggested that this event was predicted by the Brahan Seer.