📌 Livingston, West Lothian
★★★
🛠️ Route currently impassable – see below (checked April 2024)
What springs to mind when someone mentions Livingston, West Lothian? Sprawling road junctions, retail parks, 1960s architecture… how about a splendid waterfall? Under a mile from the town’s southernmost suburbs, the Camilty Water drops into a short but beautiful gorge sharply at odds with the gentleness of the surrounding farmland. Two substantial waterfalls and several smaller ones tumble into the depths; the largest is actually fed by a crumbling mill lade (the mill no longer exists) but this isn’t obvious from below. Parking is limited, but the walk from the nearest road begins promisingly. The last few hundred metres of the route are however a bit sketchy: stepping stones across a side burn, and a very slippery slope to reach the best viewpoint – more details below.
⚠️ Important
The house and gardens alongside the path are someone’s home, and although we have a so-called “right to roam”, we also have a right to privacy. Public access rights do not extend to residential gardens like this, so you should keep to the path until after crossing the wooden footbridge mentioned in the route info below. For more info on your access rights, see the 🔗 West Lothian Council Rangers’ page.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at minor road corner, 0.5 mi south of Balgreen Farm & 2 mi south of Murieston, Livingston
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 060627
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.848442,-3.502906
🚌 Bus stops on Murieston Road (1 mi)
🚗 Space for 1 or 2 cars only – do not block nearby driveways or field entrances
📝 Key info
▶ 2 km / 1 mi | ▲ 20 m | ⌛ 30 min
Features: 🌊 Linn Jaw ★★★ (waterfall)
⬤ Moderate | Clear path except for last 300m generally gives good going. Then only faint, rough path to waterfalls with uneven stepping stones to cross tributary (not possible in spate, though fallen logs may be an alternative) and unprotected drops next to the path. The best views of the more impressive lower falls involve descending a steep, muddy bank which is often extremely slippery – care needed.
Download file for GPS➡️ Out-and-back walk: start – remain on path alongside north bank of Camilty Water to wooden footbridge at 🧭 NT 064629 – follow south bank for 200m until path bends right to follow a tributary upstream – leave path to cross tributary on stepping stones – Linn Jaw upper falls immediately downstream – lower falls – return by outward route. Do not cross to the opposite bank in the area around the weir or falls, as this again leads to someone’s home and you will likely be intruding on their privacy. Access to waterfall has been blocked from all approach routes with a new deer fence (see comments at foot of page). Even if this is removed, the wooden footbridge above is removed awaiting replacement, making the route above impossible unless the river can be safely waded. (The footbridge, but not the deer fence, can be avoided by using an alternative route from near Morton Reservoir to the east, with limited parking.)
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Bewildered sheep and lamb at the foot of the falls, dippers, roe deer crossing the road on the way to the start.
Weather: 8°C, mostly cloudy to start but sun increasingly breaking through.
May 2019
Also on this walk
Linn Jaw ★★★
🌍 Location
📌 On the Camilty Water 1 mi south of Murieston, Livingston
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 065631
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.851757,-3.495464
🚌 Bus stops on Murieston Road (1 mi)
🚗 Parking as for walk route above (0.5 mi)
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 There’s no quicker route to the waterfall than the walk described above.
Fabulous falls! But I'll have to rely on these photos as proof as the hike down for the view definitely surpasses my abilities!
Lovely wee Sunday morning stroll!
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's possible to bypass the slippery mud slope by hopping over the fence into the adjacent field then walking down to the river and turning left.
In doing so would we be on someone elses land ? I couldn't manage that slope,but really would love to see the beautiful falls
Hi Diane. I'd encourage you to have a read of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to familiarise yourself with where you can walk. However, in this case, I suspect that climbing fences and scrambling back along the riverbank is just as awkward as the muddy slope!
I just visited today. Highly recommended! Very easy to access by stepping over the fence at the top of the slope and then follow the curve of the field. I foolishly attempted to climb back up the slope on my return, got half way and slipped back to the bottom, utterly covered in mud!
The bridge been closed for repair is nonsense, its been closed because it was plastered all over social media and now its being ruined by people who don't even live her. As someone who has been going here for 17 years I have not been all summer because of the destruction and mess and idiots flocking to get a pic for Instagram. There was a reason it wasn't public knowledge for all those years!
Hi, our information comes from the West Lothian access officer. We are also sad to hear stories about mess.
So sad to hear people aren't respecting the area,myself and mypartner were hoping to take a wee trip down today,we live in Livingston,and enjoy some quiet, peaceful time with our cameras and try capture pics of the waterfalls and any wildlife in the surrounding areas,why can't people just look after and respect our areas of beauty ! spoling it for everyone !!
The bridge is now gone completely. The river was very shallow at the weekend so easily crossable but not normally like this.
Thanks for the update Joe!
The landowner has now totally fenced off the falls, in what looks like a deliberate attempt to stop visits from the public. It wasn’t possible to get a good view, from either side.
A tall deer fence, no less. With barbed wire along the top.
Thank you for the update.