In the small village of Kinlohleven, in the Scottish Highlands, Grey Mares Tail waterfall drops 12m into the craggy gorge below. The walk to it is short and straighforward making it a great place for a quick stop off. It’s also a fabulous place to swim and there’s even a via ferrata. Find out everything you need to know about Grey Mares Tail waterfall here.
😊Difficulty: easy – the path to the waterfall is well maintained and short
⛰️Terrain: generally well maintained paths, one footbridge, some rocks may be slippy and muddy in wet weather
↔️Distance: 1km/0.6miles
⌛Time taken: 10-15 minutes each way
📈Ascent: 25m
Start point: Grey Mares Waterfall Car Park, Kinlochleven, PH50 4QT
🗺️You are unlikely to need a map for the walk to the waterfall but it appears on OS Explorer 384 Glen Coe and Glen Etive with Ballachulish & Kinlochleven
How to get to Grey Mares Tail waterfall
Car parking and starting the route
Kinlochleven is a small village at the head of Loch Leven in the Scottish Highlands and is a great base for outdoor activities. The walk to Grey Mares Tail starts at the small car park in Kinlochleven. It’s just off Wades Road and at the time of writing (February 2025) the car park was free. It is signposted for Grey Mares Tail.
Public transport option: buses regularly travel between Fort William and Kinlochleven
The walk starts by following the path along the edge of the car park towards the woods. At the end there is a T-junction where you turn left, following behind some buildings and ignore the fork taking you to the right.
Walking to Grey Mares Tail waterfall
The path becomes gravelled and winds gently uphill, through the trees and to a footbridge. After crossing the footbridge, turn left to see the waterfall. After lots of rain, you’ll probably be able to feel the spray from the waterfall and getting any closer will be too treacherous. The view of it here is still magnificent but on a drier day, you can also clamber across the rocks upstream to get to the pool at the base of the waterfall. The rocks here are very slippy so take care but the reward is worth it and this is also a fabulous place for a wild swim.
Via Ferrata at Grey Mares Tail waterfall
As you look around the waterfall, you may notice on the rockface some iron cables, a wire cable footbridge above you and metal handholds. This is for the via ferrata that follows around the side and above the waterfall. I highly recommend checking it out for an adrenaline rush! We booked with Vertical Descents Scotland and had a fabulous time with them on the via ferrata.
Take a look here and remember to let me know if you’ll be visiting Grey Mares Tail or completing the via ferrata…