Falls of Foyers

Two waterfalls on the River Foyers, set in a steep wooded gorge that drops to Loch Ness. The lower fall is the dramatic one — around 30 metres into a black pool, framed by mossy rock walls and dripping ferns. A short, well-engineered path with viewing platforms leads down from the upper car park. The walk takes about twenty minutes round-trip and is manageable with children, although the lowest viewpoint involves steep wet steps.

For the best show, come after rain — the hydro scheme upstream takes most of the water in dry weather, leaving the falls disappointingly thin. The Gaelic name, Eas na Smùide, means "the smoking falls" and refers to the spray that rises from the gorge on a wet day.

things to do sight
A story
Robert Burns visited the falls in 1787 and wrote a short poem about them on the spot. Decades later, in 1896, much of the river above was diverted to feed Britain's first commercial hydroelectric scheme — so the falls today run thinner than Burns saw them, with the full flow only after heavy rain.