A beautiful short but surprisingly stenuous walk with good views of the gorge and falls from two stone bridges and a picnic area.
Summary
Clear paths on a hilly route with some steep sections and sheer drops at the gorge edge.
Terrain
NN821660
Grid ref
2.5km/1.5 miles
Distance
Grade
House of Bruar car park on the B8079
Start
Maps
GPS Waypoints
View in 3D
1. Park at the House of Bruar car park where you can also make use of the poshest toilets in the Highlands. Walk around the front of the building and then head left uphill just before the bridge following the signs for the Falls of Bruar. The walk follows the Bruar Water upstream where clear pools can be seen below. Care should be taken with young children near the steep sides of the gorge. The path passes through pine trees and later birch, rowan, aspen and willow. When visitors first came here in the eighteenth century there were no trees. Robert Burns, after visiting the popular beauty spot in 1787, petitioned the Duke of Atholl and asked for the falls to be surrounded with, “lofty firs and ashes cool”. The first pine plantations were laid out in 1796 and mostly felled to provide wood during the second world war and replanted afterwards.
2. The walk continues to climb, reaching a carved wooden bench where a flight of steps go up to the right. These lead to a viewing platform for the first of the falls where a rock arch projects low across the river. Continue on the main path to reach the lower bridge just beyond. The arched remains of a Victorian viewing house can be seen just on the left side of the bridge. This was designed to give a sudden and surprising view of the waterfalls beyond and was thought to heighten the effect.
3. Do not cross the lower bridge but continue on the uphill path for the higher bridge. Continue heading uphill ignoring a path to the left which climbs away from the river. Eventually you reach the pretty stone upper bridge which was built to enable early visitors to enjoy the falls. The view downstream from the upper bridge over the Perthshire countryside is a lovely addition to the falls themselves.
4. Continue up the path on the other side of the bridge. After a short distance there is a picnic area off to the left with good views of the Bruar Water from the seats. The walk continues though Scots pine and begins to descend towards the lower bridge with some good viewpoints for the falls on the way.
5. When you reach the lower bridge cross it and continue back down the outward path to the start of the walk.
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