Cawdor Canyon

Adventure Canyon

Grade: V2 A2 IV ★★

Summary

Deep conglomerate slot canyon, with committing and atmospheric gorge walking

Canyon Descent:

120m

Highest Drop:

Canyon Length:

2.2km

Minimum Ropes:

1X 30m

Flood Risk:

High

Access Type:

Public

Rock Type:

Gneiss / Congromerate

Catchment:

15km2

Water Level Indicator

Local river levels

View Topographic Map

*No Topo map available

Duration: in, down and out:

IN: 2 mins DOWN: 1.5hrs OUT: 30 mins

Anchors

Natural

Notes

A committing and atmospheric slot canyon, not overly technical but very committing in its upper section with escape impossible beyond the first 200m until 700m, unless escape line pre-rigged into canyon. It was attempted in very low flow conditions after a prolonged period of drought (see photo at bridge), and would be dangerous in higher flows with complex sections of log jams. For reference the nearby Sepa water level gauge on the Nairn at Firhall read 0.3m at the time of descent. All the anchors used were jammed logs with no anchors left behind, these will likely move and change with varying water conditions

Description

Park by Glengeoullie bridge and enter true left upstream of the bridge. Pleasant gorge walking for 200m to the first downclimb, descending two steps TL the first 5m and the second 3m. Shortly after, the canyon narrows significantly into a slot a 1-2m wide with overhanging 40ft walls above. Carefully downclimb over a chockstone, and descend a narrow shoot into a deep pool with a tree jammed in it. Beyond this after a short section of gorge walking you cross a mess of jammed wood to reach a 3m abseil, followed by a 15m abseil down a shallow slide. Jammed logs were used for anchors during both of these abseils. Beyond this, enjoy atmospheric and scenic gorge walking with short scrambles and down climbs for the rest of the canyon. Escape up steep grassy bands may be possible from this section. Pass under the second bridge overhead, before exiting just after the third bridge at NH 84804 49203. Exit true left and follow forest paths back to the start. Page information - Joe Barlow & James Nicholson

View Route

First Recorded Descent Team

Jamie Walker - 2007

Download GPX

Page Information

James Nicholson, Joe Barlow

📸 – Joe Barlow

📸 – Joe Barlow – Low level safe to descend, taken from the bridge.

Have You Descended This Canyon Recently?

If so we would love to hear from you in the comment section below! Let the whole community know more about this canyon, Information such as time taken to: approach, descend and exit are extremely helpful, as well as any new hazards you may have come across whilst canyoning at this location. If any information on this page is missing, incorrect or out of date, please get in contact with us directly so we can rectify as soon as possible.

Disclaimer No responsibility or liability is taken for any harm, death or loss of property from using the information found on Canyon Log. Topo features, descriptions and notes may not be accurate and could be misleading. You must carry anchor building materials, be experienced and use your own judgement when canyoning. Flooding can completely change the layout, features and conditions. Insufficient experience may result in death.

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Galloway Canyoning

October 10, 2025 6:04 pm

Canyon Experience :

Descended on the 2/10/25 team of 2 in the low flow. Absolutely stunning narrow slot Canyon with very high walls, well worth a visit.
we didn’t use the rope at all and were able to down climb all pitches but In higher flow downclimbing would be extremely difficult, you can also see some nasty hydraulics would appear with higher flow too.
Escape is difficult before the exit

Last edited 3 months ago by Galloway Canyoning