📌 Glen Isla, Angus
★★★★
If you’re lucky enough to catch it in spate, Reekie Linn is an awe-inspring sight. Its name translates as smoky waterfall, referring to the spray thrown up by the River Isla’s 25-metre drop into a plunge pool said to be even deeper than the total height of the falls (there are actually two separate waterfalls, but they combine to form a single drop when the water level is high). The source of the river is in the Cairngorms to the north, so rain or snowmelt events far up in the hills can cause river levels to rise suddenly and dramatically. Popular in Victorian times, the spot seems to have lost a little of its fame despite a decent car park and access path, and today deserves to be better known. We also spotted a red squirrel here in 2021. Further downstream the gorge has a whole series of other cataracts, but dense woodland, steep slopes and few paths make reaching most of these a major expedition.
🌍 Location
📌 Off B954 5 mi north of Alyth
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NO 254537
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.669356,-3.218647
🚌 Extremely infrequent bus to Peel Farm (1 mi)
🚗 Car park at 🧭 NO 254538 / 🛰️ 56.670370,-3.221948
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s 5-min walk downstream to the falls on a clear path above the river’s north bank.
