"A walk beside Scotland's Himalayan lookalike, leading to an enormous waterfall"
Walk directions
At the top end of the car park you will see a signpost that shows no destination closer than the 13 miles (21km) to Kinlochleven – accordingly, this walk will be a short out-and-back. The well-made path runs gently uphill under woods of birch and hazel, across what turns into a very steep slope. For a few steps it becomes a rock-cut ledge, with a step across a waterfall side-stream. The path at this point is on clean pink granite, but you will see a boulder of grey schist beside the path just afterwards. Ahead, the top of the Steall Falls can now be just glimpsed through the notch of the valley.
The path continues downhill to cross a stream with big rock blocks; the rock now is schist, with fine zig-zag stripes of grey and white. A short rock staircase leads to a wooden balcony section. From here the path is just above the bed of the Nevis Gorge. Here the river runs through some huge boulders, some of which bridge it completely.
Quite suddenly, the path emerges on to a level meadow above the gorge. Ahead, the Steall Falls fills the view. The well-built path runs along the left-hand edge of the meadow to a point opposite the waterfall.
The walk could end here, at a cable bridge, which consists simply of three steel cables over a very deep pool. Those who wish to attempt the crossing should note that it gets wobblier in the middle; it’s hard to turn round, but the return journey is rather easier. Continue across the steel cabled footbridge and alongside the main river round one bend before heading up to the foot of the waterfall. The view from directly beneath is even more spectacular. Return the way you came.
The Nevis Gorge, it's been said, is where Scotland pays its little tribute to the Himalayas. High walls of crag and boulder rise on either side. The path runs through a narrow gap where forest clings to the steep hillside and the river crashes below among its boulders. Rocks and falls galore Four... different types of rock make up this scenery, and three of them are obvious from the walk. The crushed and ancient rocks of the Central Highlands (the Dalradian series) are mostly grey schist, but here there is also the pale-grey quartzite of Sgurr a'Mhaim, above the bend of the glen. The grinding of the continents at the time the Caledonian mountains were formed caused great bubbles of melted rock within the schist. These now appear at the surface as the granite on the lower slopes of Ben Nevis. It's grey on the outside, but pink when freshly broken or washed by streams. The granite was formed deep underground, but above it volcanoes were pouring out the black lava that now forms the summit of Ben Nevis and its formidable northern crags. As the glen bends east towards the gorge, stop at the Polldubh car park (Grid ref: NN 145683). The first waterfall is hidden underneath the road bridge. The riverbed is the pinkish Nevis granite, cut by two dykes – vertical intrusions of volcanic rock – which the river has eroded into twin channels. Continue up the road to its end at the second car park, where the walk starts. Glen Nevis has the rounded outline of a glacial valley. Glacier-smoothed rock below the car park has become an informal 'symbolic cemetery', commemorating those killed by the mountains they loved. Once above the gorge, the depth of the former glacier is shown by the rocks of Meall Cumhann, on the Ben Nevis (north) side. These are obviously smoothed by the ice that has passed right over the top of them. Steall Falls Steall Falls is about 300ft (91m) high. In a good winter it freezes completely and climbers ascend it in spiked crampons with an ice axe in each hand. The valley above the fall, the Allt Coire a'Mhail, once flowed gently out into a higher version of Glen Nevis. From above, it still appears to unwary walkers to do so. Ice deepened Glen Nevis by 750ft (229m). In the following 10,000 years, the side-stream has barely started its task of eroding the hanging valley down to the level of its new endpoint.
Apart from the Orkneys and the Shetlands, Highland is Scotland’s northernmost county. Probably its most famous feature is the mysterious and evocative Loch Ness, allegedly home to an ancient monster that has embedded itself in the world’s modern mythology, and the region’s tourist industry.
"A walk beside Scotland's Himalayan lookalike, leading to an enormous waterfall"
Walk details
1hr 30min
Difficulty:
Easy
Gradient:
Gentle
Distance:
2.5 miles (4kms)
Ascent:
270ft (82m)
Walk directions
At the top end of the car park you will see a signpost that shows no destination closer than the 13 miles (21km) to Kinlochleven – accordingly, this walk will be a short out-and-back. The well-made path runs gently uphill under woods of birch and hazel, across what turns into a very steep slope. For a few steps it becomes a rock-cut ledge, with a step across a waterfall side-stream. The path at this point is on clean pink granite, but you will see a boulder of grey schist beside the path just afterwards. Ahead, the top of the Steall Falls can now be just glimpsed through the notch of the valley.
1 of 4
The path continues downhill to cross a stream with big rock blocks; the rock now is schist, with fine zig-zag stripes of grey and white. A short rock staircase leads to a wooden balcony section. From here the path is just above the bed of the Nevis Gorge. Here the river runs through some huge boulders, some of which bridge it completely.
2 of 4
Quite suddenly, the path emerges on to a level meadow above the gorge. Ahead, the Steall Falls fills the view. The well-built path runs along the left-hand edge of the meadow to a point opposite the waterfall.
3 of 4
The walk could end here, at a cable bridge, which consists simply of three steel cables over a very deep pool. Those who wish to attempt the crossing should note that it gets wobblier in the middle; it’s hard to turn round, but the return journey is rather easier. Continue across the steel cabled footbridge and alongside the main river round one bend before heading up to the foot of the waterfall. The view from directly beneath is even more spectacular. Return the way you came.
The Nevis Gorge, it's been said, is where Scotland pays its little tribute to the Himalayas. High walls of crag and boulder rise on either side. The path runs through a narrow gap where forest clings to the steep hillside and the river crashes below among its boulders. Rocks and falls galore Four... different types of rock make up this scenery, and three of them are obvious from the walk. The crushed and ancient rocks of the Central Highlands (the Dalradian series) are mostly grey schist, but here there is also the pale-grey quartzite of Sgurr a'Mhaim, above the bend of the glen. The grinding of the continents at the time the Caledonian mountains were formed caused great bubbles of melted rock within the schist. These now appear at the surface as the granite on the lower slopes of Ben Nevis. It's grey on the outside, but pink when freshly broken or washed by streams. The granite was formed deep underground, but above it volcanoes were pouring out the black lava that now forms the summit of Ben Nevis and its formidable northern crags. As the glen bends east towards the gorge, stop at the Polldubh car park (Grid ref: NN 145683). The first waterfall is hidden underneath the road bridge. The riverbed is the pinkish Nevis granite, cut by two dykes – vertical intrusions of volcanic rock – which the river has eroded into twin channels. Continue up the road to its end at the second car park, where the walk starts. Glen Nevis has the rounded outline of a glacial valley. Glacier-smoothed rock below the car park has become an informal 'symbolic cemetery', commemorating those killed by the mountains they loved. Once above the gorge, the depth of the former glacier is shown by the rocks of Meall Cumhann, on the Ben Nevis (north) side. These are obviously smoothed by the ice that has passed right over the top of them. Steall Falls Steall Falls is about 300ft (91m) high. In a good winter it freezes completely and climbers ascend it in spiked crampons with an ice axe in each hand. The valley above the fall, the Allt Coire a'Mhail, once flowed gently out into a higher version of Glen Nevis. From above, it still appears to unwary walkers to do so. Ice deepened Glen Nevis by 750ft (229m). In the following 10,000 years, the side-stream has barely started its task of eroding the hanging valley down to the level of its new endpoint.
Apart from the Orkneys and the Shetlands, Highland is Scotland’s northernmost county. Probably its most famous feature is the mysterious and evocative Loch Ness, allegedly home to an ancient monster that has embedded itself in the world’s modern mythology, and the region’s tourist industry.
