- Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Scotland
Ever since I first caught sight of rushing water images in Yosemite by David Muench, I have loved making photographs of rushing water. My favorite thing to do is hunt for unique and photogenic waterfalls. So in this post, I’m going to talk about how to capture your best waterfall images – in Scotland.
If you Google “best waterfalls,” or “most beautiful waterfalls,” you’ll get a list that seems to be propagated repeatedly. The list includes falls such as Iguazu Falls, Argentina, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Angel Falls, Venezuela, and Niagara Falls, USA/Canada. These are definitely the biggest and maybe the most magnificent, but I wouldn’t describe them as the best or the most beautiful.
So, what makes a beautiful waterfall? If you want to take an epic photograph, you need to find somewhat secluded falls. I prefer no people playing in the water or repelling them. The scenery surrounding the falls has to be attractive. They cannot have a ton of water flowing because lots of water flowing renders as white noise in a photo. It’s ideal if you have something in the foreground that’s interesting, which can add depth. The light on the falls has to be correct, not too bright. However, you can mitigate some brightness with filters. Finally, it’s helpful to not have to jockey for position to get a shot.
When we last went to Scotland, we went for six weeks. We were primarily hunting waterfalls. There are tons of them! I’m going to break down my favorites into groups of four at a time. I’m adding descriptions of each image below the gallery.
So, here are the first four of my favorite Scotland waterfalls. In Scotland, there are so many waterfalls to choose from that you start to become rather picky about what you go shoot.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Corrieshalloch Gorge
In the first image, this waterfall was on the side of the trail we were hiking out from when visiting the Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve. It was a happy accident. The main waterfall was a very tall fall that started at the top of the Gorge and landed at the bottom of the Gorge. But the only way to capture it was by walking out onto a bridge and shooting from the middle, and the bridge was very far away from the fall. Even then, brush and trees somewhat obscured the falls. But on the way back from shooting the main event, we ran across this one. I love how this one allowed for viewing the rocks under the water and the foreground foliage.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Aros Falls
I took the second image from a platform overlooking them in the late afternoon. Aros Falls is on the Isle of Mull near Tobermory. I love the light in the foreground and background, while it doesn’t impact the falls themselves. I took this in late August, and there was no one else around. It was blissful.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Devil’s Pulpit
The third image is a fall in Devil’s Pulpit. In Scotland, a law called, “The Land Reform Act of 2003,” allows anyone to visit any land for recreation purposes (among others) if they do so responsibly. This law applies to the third image which is on private property. Getting down to this place involves an arduous process of negotiating makeshift slippery steps and mud-caked rocks in bare feet. Shoes or boots are too slippery, and you need to be able to grip the rocks with your feet. Even though it’s treacherous to get to, a lot of people do go. We had to wait a while for people to stop swimming in the pool above the falls.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Falls of Falloch
This fall requires patience. The fall is located near the road into the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. For that reason, it attracts more people. There are several vantage points from which to take photos of this waterfall, but I liked the view from above. For a while, there were people partying up at the top, which didn’t lend to the image too well. After they all left, there was a beer carton still at the top. Fortunately, a young man climbed to the top to remove it. We applauded. Busy waterfalls require patience and extra time.
Here are the next four of my favorite waterfalls in Scotland and all of these are definitely not in priority order.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Falls of Clyde
This was a harder fall to find. It’s set on land owned by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, but the GPS took us on a wild goose chase, across the river and down the other side of the river, parallel to the trail you have to use to walk to the fall. So, you should plug in the New Lanark Visitor Centre or the Car Park into your GPS so you don’t get lost. When we went, there were very few people on the trail. The scenery in this whole area is worth the hike. Here are some shots of the trail and a couple of other falls along the way.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Baden Mossbach Falls
This is a beautiful multiple-tier waterfall that was SO HARD to find. It’s in the middle of forest land. There are no instructions anywhere that pinpoint it except that we did find the GPS coordinates online. Those coordinates are 57.05545, -3.89297. When we were hiking to it, we got to a point where we thought we’d passed it so Rick put the drone in the air. With that, he was able to see the trail that we’d missed. So we took the most expedient path back to the trail, which was through thick brambles for about 100 yards. Once on the trail, it was a healthy hike in elevation up to the top. I took many shots of the falls all the way down. This shot, the second from left, next to Falls of Clyde, is my favorite of all of them I think because of the depth it affords. But all are beautiful. Our mistake following the path was that the trail appeared to be more substantial going to the right at the beginning of the hike. We should have gone left instead.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Smoo Cave
On our first trip to Scotland, we had planned to go to Durness to see Smoo Cave. But while we were in Inverness, we were filling the rental car with gas. In the UK the petrol and diesel dispensers are marked opposite of the way they are in the US. So, the green is petrol and the black is diesel. Consequently, we started filling the car (a diesel engine) with petrol. Rick smelled petrol after getting a couple of gallons in it and realized what had happened. We moved the car to a parking space and called the rental company who sent a tow truck. The tow truck took the vehicle to the car rental’s nearest location. The next day we took a taxi over to the rental car agency. By then it was too late to make the trip to Durness.
The reason I write all of this is that: 1) everyone we told this story to who was local, told us they’d done the same thing, and we hope to prevent other people from doing it; and, 2) this is the reason we never got to Smoo Cave on the first trip. We had to wait five years later to go.
It’s also a very busy place to visit. You have to plan for a fair amount of time to shoot it because there’s a constant stream of people coming and going. It’s worth the long drive and the number of people though. The light in the cave and the varying amounts of water flowing mean that no matter the number of shots and angles you take, you’ll come out with different-looking images every time.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Clashnessie
I confess when I first saw pictures of Clashnessie on the Internet, I thought it was fake. It looks fake in person! It’s not hard to find, and you can park near the beach and take the trail, which is across the road, opposite the beach. But you do have to walk through private property which feels odd. You’re walking through the back pastures of people living very near the waterfall. Fortunately, it’s not too far. It was a little muddy and mucky when we were there in August. Our only problem was the wind. Many of my shots show the water from the falls shooting sideways. I like this shot the best of the ones I took because it has nice color in the foreground.
Another busy area is the Fairy Pools. Here are the best shots I got of the Fairy Pools at the Isle of Skye.
Capture Your best Waterfall Images – Fairy Pools
It was an overcast day when we got to the Fairy Pools, but the sun would peek through frequently and cause a lot of glare on the water. So, my first bit of advice is: to bring a circular polarizer to take the glare off the water. I had left mine at home. Now I get to go back. See my second bit of advice in the section toward the end of this post about avoiding the crowds at the Fairy Pools, which is an extremely popular place.
Here are the next four of my favorite Scotland waterfalls.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Road to Applecross
This fall was beside the road on the way to Applecross or in the Scottish Gaelic, Bealach-na-ba (pronounced byee-alluch nuh bah), which means “pass of the cattle.” This is a somewhat famously dangerous road to drive. We would beg to differ, however. The road from Clashnessie to Ullapool was far more dangerous and had our rental car singing a score of tunes, likely not heard anywhere else. (All four corners of the car had sensors that sang if you got too close to something.) Here’s the route we took from Clashnessie to Ullapool. We recommend you don’t take it.
But back to the road to Applecross: this waterfall sighting was unplanned. I’m not even sure it has a name. We took this road because of an article our Trusted Housesitter sent us on taking the NC 500 route. (Learn more about the Trusted Housesitter program in this post.)
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Kilt Rock
Kilt Rock is a very famous waterfall. There was no one stupid enough to be out here with us when I took this shot. The winds were gusting at about 40 mph. The rain was coming down sideways. My rain poncho was flapping over my head. This was the best shot I got, though I didn’t stay out there too long.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Fairy Bridge
This one was very difficult to find because the trailhead was closed for maintenance. We had to find a way around it. After a lot of searching, we noticed a river running down a hill and toward the road. We decided to follow the river up the hill because undoubtedly a waterfall would appear at some point, right? About halfway up, we were climbing well above the river, so we thought we should maybe climb down by the river. We could see snippets of what looked alike a waterfall. So we started down. First Rick fell and then I started going down. It was very slippery. Rick stopped himself by lodging his foot against a sturdy tree. So when I fell, I slid down to him. My camera backpack almost slid past, but Rick caught it.
Yes, there was a waterfall. It was pretty wimpy and what we were really after was the Fairy Bridge. So we clamored our way back to the top of the hill and proceeded along that path. Ultimately, it was worth the effort. There was no one else around, but it felt like we’d be interrupted by elves at any moment.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Cauldron Falls
This one is all over the Internet for good reason. It’s got the lovely Glencoe mountains in the background. The directions I found online were vague. You just go to the Kingshouse Hotel. You’ll cross River Etive. Park in the lot and then follow West Highland Way upriver. The river eventually gets more substantial and you’ll see the same view as the popular shot if you sit down near the water. You can use the mountains in the background to judge where you should be.
Here are four more of my favorite Scotland waterfalls.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Pucks Glen
Pucks Glen is simply beautiful. It’s not hard to find. There are waterfalls throughout the entire area. It’s not crowded. The first image above is just my favorite of all of them because it feels dramatic.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Eas Mor Falls Walk
The second image above is on the Isle of Arran, which is also beautiful. It was a wonderful hike and there is another waterfall along the way. We rode the CalMac car ferry over to Arran and drove to the car park. More instructions can be found in this article. This fall was very tall and the sun was shining on the base of it, which made the image too brash where the water hit the rocks below. But I like the sun on the foliage around the falls.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Plodda Falls
This one is easy to find. Walking to the platform and viewing area is easy. Climbing down to the bottom is a little more challenging, but worth it. I would have needed waders to get out in the middle for a better shot, but I like this one because there was a lot of water running and the tree disguises the brightness of the water a bit at the top.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Black Linn of Blairvaich
This is easy to find, but it requires patience when someone is hanging out in the middle of the photo on their phone, evidently conducting a conference call. The fall is very powerful, with a ton of water coming into it. I did like that the clouds parted a bit so the blue sky is peaking at the top of the image. You can find out more about the Hermitage and the trails and waterfalls in this article from the Scottish National Trust. Here are some photos of the trail.
Here are four more of my favorite waterfalls in Scotland.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Edradour Black Spout
This one is in the lovely area of Pitlochry. The car park was a little hard to find so here are the instructions. The trail is easy and the waterfall is viewable from a platform. Strangely, we were the only ones here when we went. I like the multiple threads of water and the variety of greens in the trees framing the fall.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – House of Bruar Falls (Images 2 & 3)
When we arrived in Edinburgh, after sightseeing a bit, we ate at the Tollbooth Tavern. We had an excellent waiter there who suggested we go to the House of Bruar. It’s his favorite place to go, he said. So while it wasn’t on our original list, we investigated a bit and found that there are multiple waterfalls behind it. House of Bruar itself is unique. We don’t have anything in the U.S. that I can compare it to as far as I know. We used to. When I was a kid, if we were going to the Bay Area, we would always stop at the Nut Tree. That, to me, is the closest thing to what House of Bruar is, but it’s been gone for a while now. The Internet describes House of Bruar as a clothing place, but it is so much more! The waiter said he liked to go for the handmade chocolates.
Because the House of Bruar is a popular destination and the trail is steep but paved and easily traversed, you’ll find a lot of people here, especially in the lower sections. Do yourself a favor and walk the entire trail. I doubt many people even see the second image above because it’s toward the top of the loop. Nobody was around when we walked up there. Shooting that fall required a 300mm telephoto lens because it’s across the canyon from the trail.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Dalcairney Falls
This waterfall is south of Ayre. You feel like you’re invading a farming/residential community when you drive down the little road to get here. Depending on where you’re coming from, you might have the opportunity to drive through Galloway Forest Park, which is an interesting area as well and also has at least one waterfall. But Dalcairney is a multi-level secluded fall. You’ll likely be the only one here, especially if you go during the week.
So, that’s it for my favorite waterfalls in Scotland. You’d probably be surprised that I left out quite a few! Below are some general tips on getting your best photos of waterfalls.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images Near Your Destination
The most helpful place to start finding waterfalls near where you’re headed is Google Maps. It’s not always the most accurate in finding the waterfall trailhead if there is one. When I look for waterfalls near a certain place, I mark them and then research whether they’re worth the effort. I look for recent photos people post on Google Maps. I Google for the name of the waterfall and/or the trail to see if there’s some expert advice on accessing the trail. If there are a lot of waterfalls, it generally requires some whittling down of the list.
The first criterion for keeping waterfalls on the list is if the waterfall is substantial. Usually, I eliminate the smallest or the driest-looking falls based on the most recent photos. If the waterfall has some water, then it stays on the list. In California, waterfalls without water are the norm. The next criterion is the surrounding scenery. If there is interesting scenery, it stays on the list. If the trail getting to the waterfall is difficult, it’s more likely to stay on the list because that usually means fewer people. But I always read the latest reviews to make sure there hasn’t been some catastrophe on the trail that prevents access to the waterfall.
Choosing the Right Waterfall
For a one-day trip, I choose up to three waterfalls if they’re fairly near each other. All other things being equal, I prioritize them by how beautiful they appear to be from recent pictures. I consider the time of day we need to go and the light’s potential effect on the water. Next, I try to find instructions on getting to the falls. This can involve getting GPS coordinates for possible parking places as well as GPS coordinates for the trailhead or reading blogs for tips on where to park and how to access the waterfall. I copy all of this info into the tool I’m using to plan our trip (unless it’s a local excursion). For our recent trip to Oahu, I copied all of the details into Pebblar. The post I wrote about Pebblar shows how to document your notes for individual places you’re going. My Oahu Pebblar trip contains these waterfall notes.
Considering the Potential for Crowds
The first thing I tell people if they’re interested in finding secluded waterfalls is to look for those that are harder to get to. Most people will not take a long hike, especially if it’s uphill, to get to a waterfall.
If it’s an area that’s wildly popular, consider when most people would go. When we went to the Fairy Pools in Scotland for the second time, the area had recently appeared on a National Geographic TV show that highlighted the beauty of the Isle of Skye. Brexit was imminent. And this created the perfect storm for people traveling to them to see them before the borders closed. Our solution? Be the first ones to the Pools. We stayed fairly close to the entrance at the Broadford Hotel, which is 40 minutes from the Pools. And we arrived a little after 6 am. There were two other people there that drove in right behind us. We took our time and shot photos all the way to the beginning at the base of the Cuillins. By the time we were on our way back, busloads of people had appeared. They were slogging all over the pools. It was sad. I took the images below on our return to the car park.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images: Go Prepared
If you’re not accustomed to hiking, then you probably should start a walking regimen before you tackle a lengthy hike. Start slowly and work your way up to longer distances. We walk five miles every day of the year. Our regular walk consists of 480’+ elevations. If we get a significant amount of rain, we work out on the elliptical or stationary bike. Unless we’re very sick, we walk every day. But we’re very rarely sick.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Image – Remember Hiking Gear
You need sturdy hiking boots. We have seen every kind of shod and unshod people on some very nasty trails. Just don’t do that. Invest in some good hiking boots, like Keens. If you get them from REI and you’re a member, you can return them up to a year after you buy them. Or, if you’re not a member, you can return them up to 90 days after purchase. These are mine.
Also, bring water. If you’re going on a longer hike, e.g., five miles or more, take snacks. Nuts and jerky or something with protein is the best snack to take.
Take bug spray, but if you’re in Scotland, bring the midge nets! If you’ve never heard of midges, count yourself lucky. But if you’re fortunate enough to find yourself in Scotland when the sun has been out and the wind has died down, you have to have midge nets to protect yourself from the nasty and menacing bites. You also need something to cover your arms and legs. Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and possibly a rain jacket or windbreaker. Some people suggest applying Skin so Soft from Avon every day before you go to Scotland and all while you’re there. We used this spray that we got at a convenience store upon our first encounter with them, and it worked great. But even with all the protection, those little buggers will creep under your clothing at spots like your wrists. Check out this post for more on the Scottish wee beasties. Here’s what we looked like with our midge gear on.
Capture Your Best Waterfall Images – Prepare Your Camera Equipment
If you’re shooting with a DSLR camera, bring a tripod. I use this one that Rick got me and I love it. I also have this harness that has attachments for two cameras. The cameras hang from clips that attach to the harness. Rick bought an adapter plate that allows for an additional tripod shoe so that I just pull the camera off the harness and put the camera onto the tripod. It simplifies things a lot.
Obviously, charge your batteries the night before. Make sure you have adequate memory cards. It’s a good idea to have rain covers for your camera gear too. We got this rain cover for our camera backpacks before our last trip to Scotland. When I switched to carrying the harness, I just put the cover over the whole harness and cameras and it works great to protect them from the rain. If you want to remove the glare on the water at the bottom of the falls, bring a circular polarizer.
If you’re using your phone and you want the effect that makes the water look like salt, you need a camera app that allows you to set a slower shutter speed, and you need a tripod for your phone. I will write a separate post, comparing both methods: phone vs camera, very soon.
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