Gray Mare’s Tail Waterfall

Gray Mare’s Tail Waterfall is a fairly tall waterfall that really rages after a decent rain. Located right behind the little twin villages of Kinlochleven and Kinlochmore near Glencoe, it’s a quick and easy hike down a well-kept trail to visit the 5th tallest cascade in the UK. If you’re hiking the West Highland Way you’ll pass right through Kinlochleven so you may as well go the short and easy extra distance to check out this scenic waterfall!

I apologize for not having more than one photo to accompany this article. It was raining when I visited the falls and I opted to keep my camera as dry as possible. Plus the loads of mist in the air near the raging falls made it difficult to get a clear shot without droplets on the lens.

The car park, which has a donation box, is just past the little Presbyterian Church on Wades Rd. The path is easy, with well-graded steps leading up over a rise, then back down again to the creek. There’s a nice viewing area looking up the creek canyon to the falls at the end of the trail and a few nice open spots to “have a sit down” and enjoy a snack en route. For those intrepid travelers looking to get up close to this misty waterfall there is a series of cables to use to negotiate the final approach. When I visited the falls were flowing much too forcefully to go all the way – the amount of mist and spray was immense and I did not have rain gear on.

If you’re in the Glencoe area, a side trip to Gray Mare’s Tail Waterfall is easy and fulfilling, especially if you come to the local pub The Tailrace Inn for lunch or dinner.

Be aware there is another well-known Grey Mare’s Tail Waterfall in the Southern Uplands / Scottish Borders region. When searching online for the waterfall described above it’s spelled “Gray”, whereas the one in the Borders is spelled “Grey”.