5 Spectacular Waterfalls
Inversnaid
The needle-like stream
Just a short distance south of the Inversnaid Hotel on the eastern side of Loch Lomond, the Inversnaid falls are easily accessible after a trip across the loch with Cruise Loch Lomond. A path leads down to a bridge over a peaceful pool with the waterfall cascading over the Arklet Burn. Poet Gerald Manley Hopkins a leading Victorian poet, wrote of the falls: “What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.”
How to get there: From Tarbet Pier, you can take a waterbus to Inversnaid with Cruise Loch Lomond.
Falls of Falloch
Gaelic: Eas Falach (FALuch), meaning from the [Falloch] glen
A nice spot for a picnic, just a short walk off the A82. An impressive piece of river for expert canoeists. An art installation, ‘Woven Sound‘, is a Scottish Scenic Routes project created in 2013 to enhance the visitor experience of the Scottish landscape.
How to get there: Follow the A82 north for 12 miles, along Loch Lomond; shortly after you pass Inverarnan you will see signposts for the waterfall on the right.
Puck’s Glen
Puck’s Glen is one of the many gems of the Cowal peninsula and offers an unforgettable experience through the dark and mossy woods of the Argyll Forest Park. The short circuit, less than 2 hours, takes you up by the descending stream, where you will dozens of waterfalls, and then down through the mixed forest, where you will have spectacular viewpoints of the area and of the many rhododendrons.
How to get there: Take the A83 towards Loch Fyne, then take the A815 towards Dunoon, following signs for Benmore Botanic Gardens. You will see a sign for Puck’s Glen 1 mile before you reach Benmore.
Falls of Dochart
Gaelic: Eas Dochart (DOCHart). Reputedly ‘the scourer’ (with negative connotations, referring to this impressive feature in Killin).
Very easy access from the road, but do be careful of traffic if viewing from the bridge. When water level is lower it’s very easy to scramble out onto dry ledges and boulders, but take care as they may be slippery. The River Dochart widens just before Killin and at same time the gradient steepens resulting in the Falls. Passing under the bridge water cascades down over the rocks and around the island of Inchbuie, which is the traditional burial place of the McNab Clan.
How to get there: Follow the A82 north, along Loch Lomond, to Crianlarich, then switch to the A85 in the direction of Killin.
Beinglas Falls
Gaelic: A’ Bheinn Ghlas. The name derives from the adjacent mountain Ben Glas, properly A’ Bheinn Ghlas (uh vayn GHLAS) ‘the green mountain’. In Gaelic, the feature is Eas na Beinne Glaise (nuh baynyuh GLASHuh).
The falls are impressively high (1000ft/300m) and can clearly be seen from the A82 and the Drover’s Inn, a few hundred metres away. In order to access them, you need to cross the Beinglass Campsite and ascend for approx. 30 min. on the same path that eventually leads to Beinn Chabhair, one of the 21 Munros in the Park. The path is steep and quite a challenge in itself, but once you hear the roar of the water before they come into view, you will know it was all worth it.
How to get there: Follow the A82 north along Loch Lomondside until you reach Inverarnan. Follow signs to Beinglas Campsite.