Heron on Leithen Water
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Heron on Leithen Water by Anthony O'Neil as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Heron on Leithen Water
Image: © Anthony O'Neil Taken: 26 Jun 2025
From the Cuddy Bridge. Before the coming of steam and electricity, this stream was crucial to providing power for the developing textile mills of Innerleithen. It can develop a powerful spate, making it impossible to ford at certain times, and, for this reason, the bridge was constructed in 1701 to enable churchgoers to cross the Leithen with ease when attending Sunday worship. These days, it is particularly used by walkers visiting Pirn Wood and its historic hill fort. In Scots, a 'cuddy' is a horse, and the frequent sight of pack horses crossing the bridge may have originally given it its name.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
55.623608
Longitude
-3.060425