Falls of the Glasallt

The Falls of the Glas Allt is a waterfall near the top of Loch Muick in Aberdeenshire. It drops about fifty metres down a narrow gorge. A small stream flows from Lochnagar, the mountain to the south, and feeds the falls before reaching the loch. Queen Victoria often walked along this stream when she stayed nearby. After Prince Albert died she had a cottage called Glas-allt-Shiel rebuilt on the delta where the stream meets the loch. The falls are worth the journey for their wild setting and royal connections. Queen Victoria visited regularly in the 19th century and wrote about the spot in her journals. The rebuilt cottage still stands on the shore of Loch Muick. The walk to the falls passes through open moorland and pine woods. Loch Muick itself is a deep glacial loch surrounded by hills. Visitors find a rough path that climbs beside the stream to the top of the falls. Below the drop the water rushes through a narrow gorge lined with birch and rowan. The rebuilt cottage sits on the flat delta where the burn spreads out before the loch. Views stretch across the water to the steep slopes of Lochnagar. The whole area feels remote yet close to the road that runs round the loch.