Opinión detallada de LovesTravel
You might say that we owe a debt of gratitude to the Loch Ness Monster for our discovery of the Falls of Foyers. We were peacefully eating breakfast at our hotel on the east side of Loch Ness when we mentioned to our host that, although our 11-year-old grandson doubted the existence of Nessie, we (and he) wanted to spend a bit of time looking for the elusive beast. After all, who goes to Loch Ness and does NOT look for Nessie?
Our host responded that perhaps we ought to pop over to Foyers and take a look from there. He then shared that there had recently been a sighting from Foyers—by a local of impeccable character. So if we were in search of Nessie, we should give Foyers a try before making our way all the way around the loch to Drumnadrochit. By the time we finished with breakfast, our host had printed off a copy of the article about the sighting and handed it to our grandson as we walked from the dining room.
Left to our own devices, we proceeded to read the article and check our maps. Along with the account of the sighting, the article mentioned not only Foyers, but the Falls of Foyers. Viola! Being fond of waterfalls, the quest for the falls provided a legitimate and respectable cover for keeping our eyes peeled for Nessie.
First, we scouted out the lay of the land—a delightful task in and of itself. The east side of Loch Ness is dominated by magnificent mountains, a series of smaller lochs strung loosely across the landscape, and a sky that reaches down to touch the earth in an astonishing manner. After making our way down the loch by means of mostly one-track roads, we stopped along the shore and scanned the surface of the coffee-colored water for telltale humps and long necks. Discovering nothing more or less than a number of lovely views up, down, and across the loch, we departed in search of the much-less-elusive Falls of Foyers.
The trailhead for the path down to the falls is signposted on the B852 and is located directly across the road from the Foyers post office and general store. There is a small car park along the roadway opposite the trailhead. Foyers itself is a tiny village located roughly 10 miles northeast of Fort Augustus.
Reaching the falls requires a trudge down a steep woodland path to a viewpoint across the gorge of the River Foyers, along with a spectacular view of the waterfall as it cascades 165 feet down the sheer face of the gorge. The upper falls trail begins at a stile in a fence running perpendicular to the road and proceeds along a steep, sometimes narrow path that often consists of wooden steps, wooden walkways, or steps carved into the rock of the gorge. Handrails are sometimes present, but by no means always. On the whole, the trail is characterized by switchbacks and steps. The upper trail is also interspersed with markers engraved with excerpts from a 1787 poem written by Robert Burns in admiration of the falls--Burns did seem to get around! The lower trail leads down closer to the shore of Loch Ness, providing views of both the falls and the River Foyers as it joins the loch. Remnants of a British Aluminium factory built in the 1890s and closed in 1967 can occasionally be seen along the trail.
The excursion up and down the upper trail required less than an hour for our little party—including time for oohing and aahing at the waterfall, snapping photos to record its beauty and power, reading the Burns markers, and (at least for the older folks) stopping to catch a breath on some of the steeper assents. During or after any of Scotland’s frequent rains, one should take extra care not to lose a footing on wet surfaces.
We didn’t take the lower trail, as we had a busy schedule for the day—including a bit of Nessie scouting at other points around the loch. Still and all, the side trip to the Falls of Foyers was time well spent, not least in that it was a spontaneous diversion to visit an attraction we had not known about, much less anticipated. Had we had a bit longer, we might have stopped in at the Waterfall Café next to the Post Office and general store to ask about that Nessie sighting. On second thought, perhaps we should have made the time.
Eas na Smùide8
