A beautiful short but surprisingly strenuous walk with good views of the gorge and falls from two stone bridges and a picnic area.
Clear paths on a hilly route with some steep sections and sheer drops at the gorge edge.
Bus to House of Bruar from Pitlochry and Blair Atholl.
House of Bruar car park on the B8079.
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 passes under the railway line (trespass on the lines is strictly prohibited) and 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.
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.
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 offers views down into the gorge.
Continue up the path on the other side of the bridge - recently trees have been felled to try and stop the spread of a disease affecting larch. 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 on the main path though Scots pine and begins to descend. There are views to the higher upper falls from a seat.
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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