Best Waterfalls in Wester Ross & Sutherland
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best waterfalls in Wester Ross & Sutherland are Torboll Fall, Wailing Widow Falls, Eas a' Chual Aluinn, Falls of Kirkaig, Falls of Measach, Easan na Gaibhre, Falls of Shin and Ardvreck Castle Waterfall.
Wester Ross and Sutherland are the wild, empty far north-west, and their waterfalls match the scale of the land. The greatest is Eas a' Chual Aluinn, the highest waterfall in Britain, pouring some two hundred metres from a moorland plateau near Kylesku, roughly three times the height of Niagara.
Nearby the Falls of Measach plunge into the deep box canyon of the Corrieshalloch Gorge, crossed by a Victorian suspension bridge, and the Wailing Widow drops through its rock gorge from a hill loch, wrapped in local legend. In Assynt the Falls of Kirkaig thunder in their ravine on the walk toward Suilven, and a small cascade slips into Loch Assynt beside Ardvreck Castle.
Further east, the Falls of Shin are a well-known place to watch salmon leap, and Torboll Fall runs beside one of Scotland's earliest fish ladders near Loch Fleet, while Easan na Gaibhre hides trackless in the Sutherland hills. Some are roadside; others a long, boggy walk.
Here are eight waterfalls to seek out.
Torboll Fall
Photo: valenta via Geograph.org.uk
Torboll Fall is a waterfall on the Torboll Burn in the hills near Loch Fleet, in Sutherland, beside which runs an old stone salmon ladder, one of the earliest fish passes built in Scotland. The burn drops in a run of falls over rock ledges, and the nineteenth-century ladder, a line of stepped pools, lets salmon and sea trout climb past on their way upstream to spawn in the loch above.
It is a quiet spot in woodland, viewed from the foot of the ladder or a bridge above the fall, on a burn that runs down toward the River Fleet.
Wailing Widow Falls
Photo: Ibn Musa via Geograph.org.uk
Wailing Widow Falls is a waterfall of about thirty metres in Assynt, Sutherland, where the outflow of Loch na Gainmhich drops through a narrow rock gorge. It sits just off the A894 between Kylesku and Loch Assynt, with informal laybys nearby.
You can scramble down to the base along the stream, or take a shorter walk over boggy ground to look at it from the top. Its name comes from a local legend, told in several different versions.
Eas a' Chual Aluinn
Photo: Tom Law (deceased) via Geograph.org.uk
Eas a' Chual Aluinn is the highest waterfall in Britain, pouring down from the moorland plateau above Loch Beag near Kylesku in Assynt. The water falls around two hundred metres, roughly three times the height of Niagara, though it comes down in tiers rather than one unbroken drop.
Reaching it means a boggy hillwalk of several miles from the road, and in summer boat trips run up the loch to see it from the water. It hangs high on the hillside in wild, remote country.
Falls of Kirkaig
Photo: Jim Barton via Geograph.org.uk
The Falls of Kirkaig drop around twenty metres in a ravine on the River Kirkaig, near Lochinver in Assynt, usually carrying a strong flow of peaty water. A walk of about four miles from Inverkirkaig leads to them, on the path that heads on toward the peak of Suilven.
The falls lie a short way off the main path, down a steep, rocky descent to a viewpoint. They sit in wild, rocky country in the far north-west.
Falls of Measach
Photo: Ruth Riddle via Geograph.org.uk
The Falls of Measach plunge around forty-six metres into the Corrieshalloch Gorge, a deep, narrow box canyon on the river south of Ullapool. A Victorian suspension footbridge crosses high above the falls, and a modern viewing platform juts out over the gorge downstream, both looking down into the chasm.
The gorge runs for over a kilometre, cut by glacial meltwater through the rock. The National Trust for Scotland runs the site, with a car park and visitor centre nearby.
Easan na Gaibhre
Photo: John Ferguson via Geograph.org.uk
Easan na Gaibhre, the falls of the goat, is a waterfall marked on the maps in the hills of Sutherland, in the far north-west Highlands. It lies in remote, roadless moorland away from any marked path.
Little is recorded about it beyond its name and position. It is an obscure fall in wild, empty country.
Falls of Shin
Photo: Sarah Charlesworth via Geograph.org.uk
The Falls of Shin are a set of powerful rapids and falls on the River Shin in Achany Glen, south of Lairg in Sutherland. They are one of the best-known places in Scotland to watch wild Atlantic salmon leaping upstream on their way to spawn, most likely after rain when the river runs high.
A car park, a viewing platform over the falls and woodland walks serve visitors, along with a community-run visitor centre and cafe that opened in 2017 after the previous building burned down in 2013.
Ardvreck Castle Waterfall
Photo: sylvia duckworth via Geograph.org.uk
The Ardvreck Castle Waterfall is a small cascade a short way along the shore from Ardvreck Castle, where a burn drops straight into Loch Assynt. It is a modest fall, only a few metres high, running through partly tree-shaded ground close to the loch's edge.
The flow varies a good deal with the weather and can slow to a trickle in a dry spell. Reaching it means a walk of around fifteen minutes from the roadside north of the castle, on a rough trail down toward the water.
It carries no official name and is really a companion to the castle nearby rather than a sight in its own right.
FAQs
How high is Eas a' Chual Aluinn, Britain's highest waterfall?
Eas a' Chual Aluinn, above Loch Beag near Kylesku in Assynt, is the highest in Britain, falling around two hundred metres from a moorland plateau, roughly three times the height of Niagara, though it comes down in tiers rather than one drop. Reaching it means a boggy hillwalk, or a summer boat trip up the loch.
Which waterfall in Wester Ross and Sutherland is easiest to visit?
The Falls of Measach, south of Ullapool, are well served, with a National Trust for Scotland car park and visitor centre, a Victorian suspension bridge over the falls and a viewing platform out above the Corrieshalloch Gorge. The Falls of Shin near Lairg also have a car park, platform and visitor centre.
Where can you watch salmon leaping in Sutherland?
The Falls of Shin, on the River Shin in Achany Glen south of Lairg, are among the best-known places in Scotland to watch wild Atlantic salmon leap upstream, most likely after rain when the river runs high. Torboll Fall near Loch Fleet has an early fish ladder that helps salmon and sea trout climb past.
Conclusion
Wester Ross and Sutherland hold waterfalls to match their vast, empty land. Eas a' Chual Aluinn pours highest of all in Britain from its moorland plateau near Kylesku, the Falls of Measach drop into the great slot of the Corrieshalloch Gorge, and the Wailing Widow falls through its legend-wrapped gorge nearby.
In Assynt, the Falls of Kirkaig thunder on the walk to Suilven and a small burn slips into Loch Assynt by Ardvreck Castle. To the east, the Falls of Shin draw crowds to watch the salmon leap, Torboll Fall runs beside its early fish ladder near Loch Fleet, and Easan na Gaibhre hides trackless in the hills.
From roadside viewpoints to long, boggy walks, these are the waterfalls to seek out across Wester Ross and Sutherland.
