The Wailing Widow – A Waterfall in a Gorge below Quinag
About 1.2 miles on foot.
The Wailing Widow is a waterfall hidden in a gorge beside the road over the hills from Kylesku, where Loch na Gainmhich spills over a rock lip and drops about 30 metres into a narrow cleft below Quinag.
A short, rough path from the roadside takes you up the gorge to its foot. Lunch is a few minutes north at the Kylesku Hotel, on the shore where the ferry used to land, with seafood from the loch outside the window.
- Time
- About an hour: 15 to 20 minutes each way up the gorge path, and time at the falls.
- The path
- A rough, stony, narrow path into the gorge.
- Where to start
- A small, rough lay-by on the A894 just before the road bridge over the burn (on the left heading south); room for a few cars; no charge.
- When to go
- The falls are open ground, best in daylight and a day after rain; the Kylesku Hotel serves lunch every day from noon to 5pm.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs close in the gorge and away from the lip at the top.
- Children
- A rough path and a sheer drop at the top: keep children close.
- Toilets
- None at the lay-by.
- Before you set out
- The gorge path is narrow, stony and slippery when wet; no railing at the top of the falls.
The walk
The Wailing Widow is beside the A894 between Unapool and the Quinag car park, south of the Kylesku Bridge. Park in the small, rough lay-by just before the road bridge over the burn: heading south it's on your left, it has room for only a few cars, and there's no charge. From it a stony path heads straight into the gorge, past a pointed rock at its mouth.
After 15 to 20 minutes the falls appear at its end, pouring about 30 metres out of Loch na Gainmhich into a deep, narrow cleft. The way back is the way in, so allow about an hour. The path is narrow, rough and slippery when wet: wear boots, and leave the pushchair in the car.
The top of the falls can be reached from the Quinag car park higher up the road, by a muddy 10-minute walk along the loch shore. There's no railing at the lip, so keep well back and keep children and dogs close. There are no toilets here.
If it rains
Rain fills the falls, but the gorge path turns slippery: in steady rain go only as far as the mouth of the gorge, or look down from the Quinag car park, then go on to lunch by the window at Kylesku.
Worth a detour
- Kylesku Bridge
The Kylesku Bridge sweeps over the narrows in one long curve, and the car park at its northern end, just over the water from the hotel's turning, gives the best view of it with Quinag rising behind. There's a plaque to its opening in 1984.
Afterwards
6 min by car
Kylesku Hotel Restaurant
Lunch
Lunch is at the Kylesku Hotel, 6 minutes' drive north: just before the Kylesku Bridge, turn off down the single-track road to the old ferry slip, and park at the hotel. Lunch is served every day from noon to 5pm, last seating 4.45pm: seafood from the loch, fish from the coast, and pork and beef from the crofts around, with gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan dishes. Walk-ins are welcome when there's room, but booking is recommended. The window tables and the deck look straight out over Loch Glendhu. Dogs are welcome in the bar but not the restaurant, so say when you book. The toilets are step-free from the restaurant, but there's no wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book lunch at the Kylesku Hotel Restaurant
Book lunch at the Kylesku Hotel Restaurant on 01971 910047 or online: it's served every day from noon to 5pm, walk-ins are taken when there's room, and a dog must sit in the bar, so say when you book.
Where to eat
Kylesku Hotel Restaurant, a restaurant in Kylesku.
For further reading, before you go.