Crichope Linn

Crichope Linn
Dumfriesshire
The gorge of Crichope Linn
River:	Crichope Burn
	NX913954
Co-ordinates:	55°14’29"N, 3°42’38"W

Crichope Linn is a gorge and waterfall near Gatelawbridge in Dumfriesshire. 'Crichope' appears to be an old name of the gorge, from the Old English hop, whilst Linn is a Scots word for waterfall, from the Old English hlynn.

The gorge is over 100 feet deep and is formed from the action of the stream, the Crichope Burn, on the soft sandstone that underlies much of the area. The gorge was long believed to harbour supernatural beings, and a natural rock cell, the "Elf's Kirk" (since broken up for building stone), stood at its entrance. A natural archway on the footpath along the side of the gorge bears many 18th and 19th century inscriptions, supposedly including one by Robert Burns.

In the 17th century, Covenanters used Crichope Linn as a hiding place. Probably as a result, Walter Scott chose it as the lair of John Balfour of Burley in Old Mortality.