Walkhighlands

We recently had a lovely relaxing (non-walking) long weekend in Fort William and couldn't resist having a short stroll before our long drive back to Aberdeen. We decided to wander the path through Glen Nevis to Steall Falls. The weather was very overcast, with low cloud and some light, west coast drizzle.

The drive in was amazing and we kept stopping to admire the ever changing view.




We arrived at the car park at the end of the road at 1030am and set off along the well-trodden path.




The path started to gain a little bit of altitude as we walked along the edge of the hill, with a very fast flowing river below us. Waterfalls were everywhere and we soon came to a crossing where we had to climb up to a waterfall and jump across the fast flowing water.



The path kept winding its way along the river, before opening up into the moors where we got our first look at the magnificent Steall Falls.



Even with a strong wind blowing from behind us, we could still hear the waterfall from a good distance away. We reached a fork in the path which leads to the wire bridge, but it was busy there, so we admired the falls from this spot, before turning back to start our journey home.


Steall Falls by Rick Ellerman Photography, on Flickr

Halfway back, we met a group of people including a fellow Australian, a Kiwi, a Portugese and two Asian girls. We stopped and had a quick chat about the weather and our cameras and took photos for each other, so hello again if you are here on this website

We arrived back at the car after an hours walking and headed back up the Glen Nevis road where we were lucky enough to come across a herd of Highland Cows grazing next to a car park. We stopped, got out and mingled with them for a few minutes and got some nice photos. They truly are gentle beasts and very photogenic.


Its Only A Heilan' Coo by Rick Ellerman Photography, on Flickr


Highland Cow Grazing 1 by Rick Ellerman Photography, on Flickr


Highland Cow Grazing 2 by Rick Ellerman Photography, on Flickr


Smiling Coo by Rick Ellerman Photography, on Flickr

A brilliant wee leg stretcher and we will definately be back to Lochaber for longer to explore the region.

Walk Report and Photos now added

Brilliant RK, those highland coo shots are fantastic, I love the warning sign at the start too, I've never seen one like that - the little guy looks hilarious...it made me think of this one I found in Canada

Caution: Deer liable to start dancing with you next 10 miles

That waterfall is spectacular but I wouldn't have been brave enough t go on after that sign never seen one like that before. Looks like a really enjoyable walk though.

Sarah86 wrote:That waterfall is spectacular but I wouldn't have been brave enough t go on after that sign never seen one like that before. Looks like a really enjoyable walk though.

Sarah, its one of the easiest walks we've ever done, but its also touristy so its there to warn them of the dangers. If you are out that way ever, definately do it!!

Loved your euphemism "light west coast drizzle."

Reminds me of a colleague's response after a soggy trip to the west coast of Ireland: "why do you think it's so green," she observed.

OD

My wife & I did this walk 9 years ago after reading the wonderful reviews. We have all the right gear and really enjoyed ourselves until we were probably 75% of the way to the falls. (We could just see it in the distance.) The problem was that the path was becoming increasingly high and more narrow. We were on a narrow precipice looking a LONG way down. Then we came to a spot where the path was blocked by a small rock outcrop. It was wet and one had to climb over it to continue. Physically, it would not have been a problem for either of us, but it was very dangerous. One slip and you die...that's not my idea of an easy, pleasant walk. Out of concern for my wife, who is less experienced in these situations, I threw in the towel.

I have never really believed Scottish hike reviews since that experience. I think that there is a significant difference between the locals who are used to precipitous heights, etc. and people like us who walk a great deal but don't have easy access to this type of geography.

We will be back in Fort William very soon. Can someone who has made this walk recently advise as to whether or not that rocky outcropping still blocks the path to the falls? I would be very grateful. If it has been removed, we will try again.

Hi Ardsheal - the path up Glen Nevis to the falls has been improved a lot since 9 years ago and again more recently following a rock fall last year, however it is still rocky and rough underfoot but with no real difficulties - the description on Walkhighlands and photos may help - hope you have a good day out if you do return to it, a wonderful spot. You can also see the entire route in StreetView from the WH description - just click the link (we carried the heavy Google Trekker all the way in and had no problems underfoot) and this would give you a very clear view of the underfoot conditions for the entire route.

helenw wrote: You can also see the entire route in StreetView from the WH description - just click the link (we carried the heavy Google Trekker all the way in and had no problems underfoot) and this would give you a very clear view of the underfoot conditions for the entire route.

That's brilliant!! Nice one.