Grey Mare's Tail

Grey Mare’s Tail is a dramatic hanging valley waterfall in the Moffat Hills of southern Scotland. The 60-metre fall is formed where the Tail Burn drops from Loch Skeen into the Moffat Water below. The reserve sits in the heart of the Southern Uplands, where the land rises to White Coomb at 821 metres. Loch Skeen lies at the head of the valley, surrounded by open moorland and rough grazing. The post-glacial landscape shows the scars and shapes left by ancient ice. The site is one of the UK’s highest waterfalls and a Special Area of Conservation. It holds eight habitats of European importance and many rare plants. Botanists come to see oblong woodsia, montane willows and alpine saw-wort growing on the slopes. Peregrine falcons and ring ouzels nest among the crags, while wild goats graze the higher ground. Iron Age settlers once lived here, and Covenanters hid in the 17th century. A well-marked path climbs from the valley floor up to Loch Skeen. The walk offers wide views across heather moor and distant hills. The waterfall’s roar fills the glen on windless days. Visitors often pause at the loch’s edge, where the water is dark and still. The reserve’s quiet scale makes the landscape feel vast and untouched.