Did you know
A scrap of Scotland's rainforest.
Rha Glen is a ravine woodland of the kind known as Scotland's rainforest. With Conon Glen and the shore wood it makes one of the largest broadleaved woods in the north of Skye.
Isle of Skye
Rha Waterfall
A two-stage waterfall at the head of a wooded gorge in Uig, part of the Woodland Trust's Uig Wood.
Welcome
The Rha waterfall drops in two stages at the end of a short path through the Rha Glen, a steep-sided ravine wood in Uig, about a kilometre from the ferry pier.
Visited and photographed by Simon Hird
The Woodland Trust looks after the wood, which it counts among the most extensive broadleaved woodlands in the north of Skye, and the damp of the glen suits lichens, mosses and ferns.
The way to the fall is a set of steps up to a narrow gravel path with a handrail above a steep drop, then more steps down into the glen and a narrow flat path to the foot of the fall. The Trust puts it at about 20 minutes and asks you to keep to the path. The shore wood and Conon Glen are next door, so you can stretch the visit before a meal or the boat to Harris or North Uist.
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The walk
A short path up the gorge to the foot of the falls, with steps, a handrail and a steep drop to one side.
The Woodland Trust gives it 150 metres and about 20 minutes.
- The path
- Steps up to a short, narrow gravel path with a handrail above a steep drop, then more steps down into the glen and a narrow flat path to the base of the waterfall. The Woodland Trust describes it as rough and slippery in places. Keep to the path.
- Parking
- At Uig Community Hall, signposted off the A87 about 100 metres from its junction with the A855, or in the small informal area at that junction.
- By bus
- From Portree to Uig; get off opposite the A87 and A855 junction.
- Toilets
- At Uig Pier, about a kilometre away.
Before you go
The Woodland Trust's woods are free to visit, and the Rha Glen path takes about 20 minutes.
Parking is at Uig Community Hall, and the Portree bus stops at the junction.
- Where
- Uig Wood, in the village of Uig on the Trotternish peninsula, Isle of Skye. The Rha Glen is on the landward side of the A87, and the grid reference is NG394639.
- Price
- Free: the Woodland Trust's woods are free to visit.
- Dogs
- Dogs are welcome in the Woodland Trust's woods. The paths are narrow with a steep drop in places, so keep them close.
- Getting there
- By road, take the A87 from the pier towards Uig village for about a kilometre and turn right at the Community Hall sign. By bus, the Portree to Uig service stops opposite the A87 and A855 junction, and the coach from Glasgow via Fort William ends at Uig Pier, about a kilometre away. CalMac sails from Uig to North Uist and Harris.
- The walks
- Rha Glen Ramble: 150 metres, about 20 minutes. Conon Glen Walk: 120 metres, about 10 minutes. Shore Wood Wander: 600 metres, about 30 minutes.
- Access
- The Rha Glen path has two sets of steps and a narrow stretch above a steep drop. The Shore Wood path is flat and firm, with a short ramp and a kissing gate at the eastern end.
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Add your reviewDid you know
Did you know
A thousand species.
Naturalists have recorded more than 1,000 species in and around the wood, from flatworms to white-tailed eagles.
Did you know
142 lichens.
The mild, damp air suits lichens: 142 kinds have been recorded in the wood, most often growing on elm.
Did you know
The storm of 1877.
A great storm in 1877 destroyed Uig Lodge and brought down the bridge over the River Conon. Boulders it left behind still lie in the part of the wood nearest the shore.
Did you know
Conifers out, natives back.
The Woodland Trust bought the wood in 1988 and replaced planted conifers with native broadleaves. When a storm in 2005 brought down the biggest firs, native trees seeded themselves in the gaps.
Ben Lerwill
From our guide to Skye
An easy stroll from the nearest road (if you’re in a car, try to park where the A87 meets the A855) brings you to this serenely beautiful double waterfall, set in woodland. Come calling after heavy rain to see it at its most impressive.
Read more
What is on
What is new across Skye, day by day.
New places, news and stories, as we find them.
What is on on SkyeWhere it is
In Uig, on the Trotternish peninsula, in the glen of the River Rha.
Close byThe places nearest the falls, by road.
The Ferry Inn RestaurantA family-run 19th-century inn in Uig with small plates of local produce, a lively bar and three rooms.2 miles 3 min by road
Kilvaxter SouterrainAn Iron Age passage cut into a field at Kilmuir, about 17 metres of it, roofed with slabs and open to anyone who walks across from the road.4 miles 5 min by road
Fairy GlenCone-shaped grassy hillocks and small lochans above Uig, left by landslips after the ice, with a basalt outcrop called Castle Ewen standing over them.4 miles 11 min by road
Skye Museum of Island LifeEight thatched cottages at Kilmuir in Trotternish, showing how most islanders lived a century and more ago.6 miles 7 min by road
The Grave of Flora MacDonaldThe old graveyard at Kilmuir in Trotternish, where Flora MacDonald was buried in 1790 under a tall Celtic cross.6 miles 7 min by road
Duntulm CastleThe last castle of the Macdonalds of Sleat, on cliffs at the northern tip of Skye, left in about 1732.7 miles 9 min by road
Stay nearby
Places to stay near the falls, and when each is next free.
The Cowshed Boutique Bunkhouse- Sleeps 1
- In Uig
- Under a mile from the falls
Monkstadt 1745- To stay
- In Linicro
- 2 miles from the falls
Half of One- Sleeps 8
- In Culnacnoc
- 8 miles from the falls
Skeabost House Hotel- A hotel
- In Skeabost Bridge
- 10 miles from the falls
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Scotland, in print.
We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.
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The collections it is in and more on Skye.
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Find out more
For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .
- Uig WoodThe glens, the waterfall, the wildlife and how to get there.woodlandtrust.org.ukWoodland Trust↗
- Uig Wood walking mapThe three trails, with lengths and times.woodlandtrust.org.ukWoodland Trust↗
- Temperate rainforestWhat makes these damp western woods so rare.woodlandtrust.org.ukWoodland Trust↗
- SkyeCalMac on Skye, including the ferries from Uig to North Uist and Harris.calmac.co.ukCalMac↗
- Saving Scotland's rainforestThe work to protect woods like Uig's.woodlandtrust.org.ukWoodland Trust↗