Sput Dubh

Sput Dubh stands in Glen Ample, a steep-sided glen in the southern Highlands near Stirling. The name comes from the Gaelic for ‘black spout’, describing the narrow waterfall that drops into a dark plunge pool. Glen Ample itself is a quiet valley where the land rises sharply on both sides, cutting deep into the moorland. The waterfall is one of Scotland’s lesser-known falls, yet it is recognised in local place-name lists and on Ordnance Survey maps. Its single drop is modest compared with the country’s highest, but the setting makes it worth the short walk from the nearest road. The surrounding hills are covered in heather and rough grass, giving the glen a wild feel even in summer. Visitors follow a narrow path along the burn that feeds the fall. The final steps bring them to the lip of the drop, where the water plunges straight down into a deep pool below. From here the glen stretches away, its slopes dotted with patches of rowan and birch. On still days the only sound is the rush of water and the cry of curlews overhead.