Best Waterfalls Near Aberdeen
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best waterfalls near Aberdeen are Crawton Waterfall, Dess Waterfall, Burn O'Vat, Linn of Tanar, Falls of Unich, Falls of Damff, Linn of Muick and Falls of Drumly Harry.
Aberdeen sits on the coast, but its best waterfalls lie inland, out along Deeside and over into the glens of Angus. The nearest is Crawton, only a short run south down the coast past Stonehaven, where a burn spills over the sea cliffs.
Head west into Deeside and you reach the quiet Dess Waterfall near Kincardine O'Neil, then the extraordinary Burn O'Vat at Muir of Dinnet and the pinewoods of the Linn of Tanar up Glen Tanar. Push further and the road climbs into upper Deeside, where the Linn of Muick tumbles above Ballater.
South of the watershed, in the Angus glens, three more falls wait for those willing to walk: the Falls of Unich and the remote Falls of Damff above Loch Lee in Glen Esk, and the obscure Falls of Drumly Harry in Glen Ogil, north of Forfar. Most mean a proper drive west or south into the hills, but each rewards the effort.
Here are eight waterfalls to seek out near Aberdeen.
Crawton Waterfall
Photo: Hugh Venables via Geograph.org.uk
Crawton Waterfall The closest fall on this list, Crawton lies about 27km south along the coast, a few miles past Stonehaven. Here a burn drops over the Aberdeenshire sea cliffs, falling straight toward the shore below.
It stands beside the deserted fishing village of Crawton, abandoned in the 1920s, whose ruined houses still line the clifftop. In the breeding season seabirds crowd the nearby Fowlsheugh cliffs.
The fall is seen at its best from the water, so a boat trip out of Stonehaven is the way to catch it properly.
Dess Waterfall
Photo: Stanley Howe via Geograph.org.uk
Dess Waterfall A drive west into Deeside brings you to Dess, a small fall on the Dess Burn a couple of miles beyond Kincardine O'Neil. It is valued for its setting rather than its size, tucked into an enclosed, rocky, wooded spot.
A tiny layby and a short, unsigned path with a flight of steps lead down to the foot of the water. Quiet and easily missed, it is open at any time.
Burn O'Vat
Photo: Alan Findlay via Geograph.org.uk
Burn O'Vat Often called the Vat, this one hides in the woods at Muir of Dinnet, further west along Deeside. It is a giant pothole, a great rounded rock cauldron some eighteen metres across, scooped out of solid rock by swirling meltwaters at the end of the last ice age.
To get inside you scramble over boulders and squeeze through a narrow slot, emerging in a huge natural chamber open to the sky, with a small waterfall spilling in at the head. It sits in a nature reserve of birch woods, lochs and heath, a short walk from the visitor centre.
Legend says an old outlaw once used the cauldron as a hideout.
Linn of Tanar
Photo: Mike Duguid via Geograph.org.uk
Linn of Tanar Well up Glen Tanar, the Linn of Tanar is a waterfall on the Water of Tanar within a national nature reserve holding one of Scotland's largest surviving stands of Caledonian pine. The linn is a rocky narrowing of the river with pools, set among old Scots pines mixed with birch and alder.
You reach it on foot along good estate tracks and riverside paths from the visitor area near the Bridge of Ess, on gentle ground. The wider glen shelters red squirrels, crested tits and other woodland birds, and the feature itself stays quiet and little visited.
Falls of Unich
Photo: Scott Cormie via Geograph.org.uk
Falls of Unich Unlike many hill falls that shrink to a trickle in dry spells, this one keeps its shape whatever the weather, the Water of Unich forcing through a channel worn in the rock. It lies deep in Glen Lee, above Loch Lee in the Angus glen of Glen Esk, and there is no road to it: you walk the length of the loch from Invermark, then climb past a footbridge into the rocky gorge.
Push on beyond and the path carries you to the Falls of Damff and the wild hills above, so the two make a natural pairing for a proper day out on the hill.
Falls of Damff
Photo: Karl and Ali via Geograph.org.uk
Falls of Damff Upstream beyond the larger Falls of Unich, the Falls of Damff lie deep in the hills of Glen Esk in Angus, reached only by a long, rough walk from Loch Lee. The water drops through wild upland country within the Cairngorms National Park, with a footbridge near the falls.
Reaching it means a hillwalk over boggy ground, far from any road. Little is recorded of the fall beyond its remote setting.
Linn of Muick
Photo: Alan Findlay via Geograph.org.uk
Linn of Muick Back on the Deeside side, the Linn of Muick is a waterfall on the River Muick, about five miles south of Ballater on the minor road running up Glen Muick toward Loch Muick. The river drains the high White Mounth plateau above, so the falls run hardest after rain or snowmelt.
They sit just below the roadside but are often screened by trees, more heard than seen from the road, and reaching the water means a short descent of pathless woodland and grass to the bank. It is an undeveloped spot with no path, bridge or platform, deep in the hills of upper Deeside.
Falls of Drumly Harry
Photo: Elliott Simpson via Geograph.org.uk
Falls of Drumly Harry Farthest of all, at nearly 66km, the Falls of Drumly Harry are a little-known waterfall on the Noran Water in Glen Ogil, in the hills north of Forfar in Angus. The burn drops through quiet, out-of-the-way country near the hamlet of Auchnacree.
It is a genuinely obscure fall, marked on the maps but rarely visited and little written about. Little is recorded of it beyond its name and rough position.
FAQs
Which waterfall is closest to Aberdeen?
Crawton Waterfall is the nearest, about 27km south down the coast past Stonehaven, where a burn spills over the sea cliffs beside a deserted fishing village. It is the only true coastal fall on this list.
Are any of these waterfalls easy to reach?
Yes. The Burn O'Vat at Muir of Dinnet and the Linn of Tanar up Glen Tanar both sit a short walk from a visitor area on Deeside, making them the gentlest options west of Aberdeen.
When do the falls flow at their strongest?
After heavy rain or snowmelt. The Linn of Muick, south of Ballater, drains the high White Mounth plateau and runs hardest then, as do the remote Angus falls up in Glen Esk.
Conclusion
None of these falls sits on Aberdeen's doorstep, and that is part of their appeal. Crawton is the easy one, a short coastal run south past Stonehaven, while the rest draw you west into Deeside or south over into the Angus glens.
Some, like the Burn O'Vat and the Linn of Muick, are a short walk from the road; others, such as the Falls of Unich and the Falls of Damff, ask for a proper hillwalk over rough, boggy ground. Pick your day, check the weather, and let the rivers run high after rain for the best of them.
Whether you fancy a gentle stroll through pinewoods or a long tramp into wild country, these are the waterfalls to seek out near Aberdeen.
