Eas nan Coireachan

Eas nan Coireachan stands in the rugged hills of Argyll and Bute, where the land drops sharply toward the sea. It is a waterfall of the Highland kind, formed where a river plunges over a steep rock face into a deep pool below. The name comes from Gaelic, where ‘eas’ means waterfall and ‘nan Coireachan’ refers to the corries or mountain hollows above. These corries catch rain and meltwater, sending it rushing down the slope in a single roaring drop. The falls sit among heather moorland and dark pine woods, far from towns and roads. The falls are counted among Scotland’s tallest single-drop waterfalls, though experts argue over exact heights. Their power comes from the wet western climate that keeps the hillsides soaked all year. The river that feeds them rises high in the mountains and gathers speed as it falls, carving smooth rock and leaving a wide plunge pool at the bottom. Visitors who reach the site find the sound of water fills the air long before the cascade comes into view. A narrow path winds through the woodland to a viewpoint where the full drop can be seen. The rock face is grey and glistening, and the water thunders into the pool below, sending up spray that catches the light. On calm days the mist above the falls hangs like a veil, while in storms the spray rises higher still. The surrounding hills rise steeply, their slopes covered in purple heather and scattered birch trees. Few people come here, so the place keeps the wild feel of a Highland glen untouched by crowds.