This beautiful woodland and riverside walk visits the Cassley Falls - marked as the Achness Falls on Ordnance Survey maps. There is a beautiful log cabin constructed by the local community at the start, that houses information and interpretation.
Bog Factor
Good clear, some uphill and downhill sections; steep flight of stone steps to descend near the river.
Rosehall Forestry Commission car park.
None to start.
NC479019
This route follows the blue marker posts on the woodland sections, but is unsigned on the riverside stretch across the road. From the car park and the log cabin information centre, begin on the wide track to the left of the info boards, passing the wildlife dipping pond and soon heading through a gate. .
Continue ahead through the woodland. Ignore a footpath waymarked in blue off to the left - this is used on the return. Soon the track leads into a more open area, and it crosses stone bridges across two burns. Ignore another path off left (waymarked in red), keeping to the main track, and then ignore a track off right. Eventually a wide turning area is reached; bear left here, taking a footpath (blue marker) that starts behind a wooden seat.
The path descends and eventually reaches a minor road. Go through the gate and turn right along the road for a short distance and then turn left through a metal gate signed for the Cassley Falls; there is an information board about salmon in the River Cassley. Follow the path alongside the fence as you head towards the river. Go through a second metal gate and soon the beautiful falls are reached viewed. Locally they are known as the Cassley Falls, but Ordnance Survey maps name them as Achness Falls - the name Achness comes from Achadh an Eas which means field of the waterfall.
Head left following the path downstream passing a bench with an excellent view of the falls. Keep to the right of the stone wall surrounding the small graveyard and carefully descend the steep stone steps near the river.
Once down the steps continue along the grassy river bank, passing some wooden seats and fishing platforms. Eventually the stone road bridge over the river is approached; cross a footbridge over a tributary and then head up to the road next to the bridge, crossing the stone stile.
Turn left along the road, and then at the road junction turn left. Almost immediately there's a wooden seat and a large stone cairn built to commemorate the millennium. Leave the road here and go through the gate onto a footpath that climbs through the woods. This winds to and fro before reaching a track used on the outward route; turn right here to return to the start along the track.
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