The Best Known Waterfalls in Scotland

Scotland is famed for its lochs and highlands, so it should come as no surprise that it is also a prime location for waterfalls. Whether they’re plunging torrents or delicate cascades, each and every one of the waterfalls in Scotland is unique.

And, like so many of its natural wonders, Scottish waterfalls or ‘easan’ are big on scale. Thus, the biggest waterfall in Scotland is also the largest in the United Kingdom. From the highest waterfall in Scotland to its best known cataracts, chutes and spouts, we’re exploring the waterfalls of Scotland.

Eas a’ Chual Aluinn

We begin with the highest waterfall in Scotland and in the UK. As it streams down the jagged rocks of the northern Highlands, it’s not hard to see why Eas a’ Chual Aluinn waterfall might have been named the ‘waterfall of the beautiful tresses’. Not that Eas a’ Chual Aluinn translates as this from Scottish Gaelic. In fact, it’s said that the current name is a mangling of the original one, which did mean that. Boat or helicopter are the best ways to view this gargantuan flume, unless you’re an accomplished hiker.

Falls of Bruar, Perthshire

If there was a measure of the significance of a geological feature, it might be having the country’s most iconic poet immortalise it in song. This is what Robert Burns did with the Falls of Bruar, but not to praise their beauty. Instead, he was beseeching their landowner to plant trees around the waterfall. This was in fact done a decade later. Today, this burbling muse is surrounded by greenery.

Falls of Clyde, Lanarkshire

The River Clyde gifts us with not one, but four waterfalls in this entry, the highest of which was celebrated by none other than William Wordsworth. The poet declared the 48-foot Corra Linn waterfall to be ‘Clyde’s most majestic daughter’.

Falls of Foyers, Inverness

Before the waters of the River Foyers join Loch Ness, they tumble into a gorge in the most dramatic style. This is the Falls of Foyers, which has two viewing platforms allowing visitors to take in its beauty.

Falls of Glomach, Highlands

It’s quite the trek to reach these Scottish falls in their remote corner of the Highlands. But those who make the journey are in for a treat, with a viewing platform to gaze upon this 370 feet high wonder, one of the tallest waterfalls in Scotland.

Steall Waterfall, Glen Nevis

In terms of best known waterfalls, Steall Waterfall has Hollywood cred, having featured in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Located in Glen Nevis, near Fort William, it’s also known as An Steall Bàn, which translates as ‘The White Spout’. At 390 feet, this magnificent cataract is the second highest waterfall in Scotland.

Falls of Measach, Corrieshalloch Gorge

Some 2.5 million years in the making, Corrieshalloch Gorge was the result of melted glacier water burrowing into the land. However, it was the Victorians who first built a bridge allowing visitors to look down on the glorious torrent of the Falls of Measach which pour into it.

Little Fawn Waterfall, Loch Lomond

Not far from Aberfoyle, in the Trossachs National Park, the Falls of Little Fawn hides away amidst the trees and greenery of Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. Or, at least it would if there wasn’t a trail to lead visitors directly to it. Once there, this enchanting cascade proves itself anything but small.

Glenashdale Falls, Isle Of Arran

If the thrill of setting eyes on the 140-foot Glenashdale Falls, or ‘Eas A’ Chrannaig’, doesn’t draw you to the Isle of Arran, the history will. This stunning waterfall has numerous ancient neighbours, like an Iron Age fort and the mysterious neolithic Giants’ Graves.

From the biggest waterfall in Scotland to ones surrounded by ancient sites and poetic muses, the magnificent Scotland waterfalls are yet another feather in this country’s outstanding geological cap.