Linn of Quoich

Linn of Quoich is a rocky gorge on Quoich Water, best known for the rounded granite pothole called the Punchbowl. From the car park at the end of the public road, it is just over 0.5 km to the water. The full circuit is about 5 km with 120 m of climbing; allow 1.5 to 2 hours for it. The approach crosses a bridge over the River Quoich and follows the left bank through pines to a footbridge, the Linn and the picnic cottage. Most of the paths are clear, but some stretches are rough, with steps and crossings. The road-end car park is about 6 km beyond Linn of Dee; there is no public transport to the start.

Quoich Water squeezes through a narrow rock channel and curls around the rounded Punchbowl in the granite. At the gorge, frame the bowl's rock lip with the rushing water so its shape reads clearly. The higher part of the circuit gives you a look both up and down the river through the pines.

The Linn is also known as the Earl of Mar's Punch Bowl. Local legend says the Earl raised a toast to the Jacobite cause here in 1715; treat that as a story, not settled history.

A restored cottage near the Linn is known as Queen Victoria's Picnic Cottage and the Princess's Tea Room. Queen Victoria's granddaughter built it, and it serves as shelter during summer daytime. The cottage gives you a good reason to carry on around the circuit after seeing the gorge.

On the loop, heather and old Scots pines give way to younger native trees coming back after deer browsing pressure was reduced. It is a small but worthwhile part of the walk: you see the river's sculpted rock and a pinewood recovering around it.