The Falls of Glomach are simply magnificent. At 113 meters high they form the third highest waterfall in the UK and the sight, not to mention the sound, of all that water crashing down is spectacular. But….the falls of Glomach are miles from anywhere in the north of Scotland and there is no road in. Anyone who wants to see this fabulous sight has to don their hiking boots and walk in.
Where are the Falls of Glomach?
The Falls of Glomach are in Ross-shire in the highlands of Scotland. The nearest community to the Falls of Glomach is Morvich, which is about 15 miles from the Kyle of Lochalsh.
From Morvich, the falls are about a 12 mile round-trip hike.
We stayed at the campsite in Morvich and most people who decide to tackle this hike would set out from this point (or the National Trust Outdoor Centre, which is close by and has some limited parking).
How to reach to Falls of Glomach
As mentioned above, the only way to reach the falls is by hiking. Or is it?
The trail starts just beyond the Kintail Outdoor Centre in Morvich and heads out through woodland towards the river. Eventually this path meets with a forest track, which is the next stage of the hike to the falls.
We tackled this part of the walk the evening before we hiked to the falls and when we arrived at the forest track, we turned back down towards Morvich to make a loop walk. We realised that it would be possible to cycle up the forest track to this point, rather than walking directly from the campsite.
Cycling round on the tarmac road past a farm to join this track is further than it would be to walk through the woodland, which we did that evening. However, cycling would get us a good way up towards the falls before we would have to continue on foot.
Hike the whole way or cycle the first part
This is exactly what we did. We left the campsite, turned right out of the gate and headed up to the main road. Rather than heading left towards Shiel Bridge, we turned right and then right again up past the farm and on to the forest track.
The track goes uphill for quite a way. The electric bikes made easy work of this! Eventually we arrived at a small wooden bridge and at this point we had to abandon the bikes and the trailer.
The trail on the other side of the bridge off to the right was steep, narrow and quite rocky. It is not possble to cycle beyond this point. However, our 12 mile hike had been reduced to a 6 mile hike (approximately) – plus an eight mile cycle!
A detailed map of the hike to the Falls of Glomach can be accessed on Walkhighlands .
Another advantage to cycling part of the route
Jasper in his chariot! (This is on a different hike, but you get the idea)
An added advantage of cycling part of the route for us is that our border collie could ride in his tag-along for the first few miles. He covers so much ground when we are out hiking (he runs at least twice as far as we walk!) that we have to be careful he does not wear out his pads!
How difficult is the trail to the Falls of Glomach?
The trail is considered a Level 3 hike and therefore reasonably challenging. The forest track to the bridge is easy. It is uphill but not difficult hiking – just a matter of slogging it out. Beyond the bridge it is steeper and more rugged. There are several gullies to cross, but nothing too drastic.
The path is obvious and certainly in reasonable weather it is straightforward to follow. However, I think it would be easy to miss one’s way if it was misty or if there was snow on the ground.
The trail headsupwards towards a gap in the mountains and then levels off to a relatively flat area, which is marked by several cairns. This is the highest point of the trail and it is quite wet and boggy.
The trail then heads quite steeply downhill towards the river and the waterfall. One is aware, of course, going downhill, that this is an out-and-back hike; the uphill trek is rather more challenging!
What are the Falls of Glomach like?
The sound of the water is the first sign that the falls are close. Then the top of the waterfall, crashing down into the steep gorge, comes into view.
This is awesome, but the best view is further down. There is a steep, rocky scramble route down the left hand side of the falls with various view points. I would caution that this is not an easy path and one has to be reasonably confident to negotiate the way down.
Having said that, it is definitely worth it if you can manage it: Wow!
Are the Falls of Glomach worth the hike?
Without a doubt: yes! Okay we did cheat by cycling some of the way up from Morvich, but the we had to tackle the most challenging part of the hike. The hike to the spectacular Falls of Glomach is very rewarding. I would definitely do this again – but would choose the day carefully and only go in reasonable weather.
Other posts about Scotland
What is it like in Shetland? It takes 14 hours on the ferry to reach Shetland. We loved it, but what do you think?
More posts about Scotland
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I have always made a point of never accepting guest posts on AbFabTravels, but I have just made an exception! My daughter Beth is currently on a sabbatical and travelling the world. She has agreed to contribute a few articles, giving a young person’s perspective and insights into a different way of travelling. She is a fantastic writer so please check out her posts.
The Falls of Glomach look like a fun hike, especially in good weather. I think I might bike partway as well though.
Yes, cycling part of the way certainly worked for us.
I love the pic of Jasper in his chariot – too cute. I keep trying to get my husband to do this with our dog but he isn’t having it haha
Jasper loves it!
We do love visiting waterfalls. I am sure that the long hike in makes viewing the Falls of Glomach a real treat on a visit to Scotland. I am not sure about a 12 mile hike. But with an electric bike it would be something we would consider to cut off some of the hiking distance. The views definitely look worth the effort.
We certainly thought so, Linda, but yes, the bike was great way to get a good way along.
The falls a beautiful. They definitely look like they are worth the hike to see them!
This looks amazing & love that you were able to use your e-bikes!