Divach Falls – On Foot to a 100-Foot Fall in the Oaks
About 3.7 miles on foot.
Divach Falls drops 100 feet through an oakwood in the hills above Drumnadrochit, beside Loch Ness.
This is the walk to it from the village: by the River Coiltie, up a quiet hill road and back by Lewiston, a round of 6 km.
- Time
- About two hours: 6 km (about three and three-quarter miles) there and back from the village, graded easy, with a steady climb of about a mile on a quiet road.
- The path
- Village streets, a woodland path, a single-track road that climbs for about a mile, then an earth path through oakwoods to a viewing platform.
- Where to start
- The village car park in Drumnadrochit.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From mid October to March the woodland paths are wet and slippery with leaves, and from November to January set off by 1pm.
- Children
- A fair climb for small legs. Keep children close at the platform and by the burn.
- Toilets
- In Drumnadrochit; none at the falls.
- Before you set out
- There is open water at the falls.
The walk
In October 2026 the public road to the falls car park was closed to vehicles after a landslide, and the falls could be reached only on foot. So this is the walk from the village, which stays open. It leaves Drumnadrochit along the foot of the wooded hill of Craigmonie, by the site of Balmacaan House, and then takes a quiet road with the River Coiltie beside it. The road climbs steadily for about a mile.
Near the top a short path leads through oakwoods to a viewing platform. In front of it the Divach Burn falls 100 feet down a dark rock face on its way to Urquhart Bay and Loch Ness. The falls were among the first sights that brought visitors here. They came by boat to Temple Pier on Loch Ness and were taken up to see them.
The round is 6 km, about three and three-quarter miles, and takes two hours, coming back by Lewiston. Follow the safety signs on the closed road.
If it rains
The oakwoods give some shelter and the fall is worth seeing in the wet, but the hill road is open to the weather. Wear boots.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Tomasz Francuz via Google