Steall Falls and the Nevis Gorge

The road up Glen Nevis ends at a car park below Ben Nevis’s southern flank, and from there a path threads into the Nevis Gorge, a narrow defile where the River Nevis drops fast over bedrock between steep, wooded sides. The path is rougher than the scenery might suggest: it’s a mountain path, rocky and uneven, with sections close enough to the drop into the river that this isn’t a walk for anyone unsteady on their feet or minding small children closely. After about 1.5km the gorge opens suddenly into a flat, hanging meadow, with Steall Falls, dropping 120m from the Mamores on the far side.

A three-cable wire bridge crosses the Water of Nevis just below the falls: two cables for hands, one for feet, swaying as you cross. It’s a well-known local rite of passage and not to be taken lightly with a full pack or in wet conditions, but it isn’t necessary to reach a good view of the falls, which are visible from the near bank without crossing anything.

The gorge and the meadow beyond it belong to the John Muir Trust, whose Ben Nevis estate runs to 1,761 hectares and takes in the summits of Ben Nevis, Càrn Mòr Dearg and Aonach Beag. This is a short walk by the standards of the surrounding mountains, an hour and a half to two hours there and back, but it delivers a great deal of scenery for very little height gain. It suits anyone based in Fort William who wants scenery without a full mountain day, though the gorge path, being narrow, rocky and occasionally exposed to the drop below, rules it out for pushchairs and for anyone who struggles on rough, uneven ground. Those who need a level surface should take the Glencoe Lochan trails instead, a firm 1.6km gravel loop 40 minutes south with benches along it.