The Falls of Bruar

The path continues from the bridge for another half mile up through the narrow glen, through birches, pine, larch, and past numerous colourful rhododendron bushes. The scene is quieter here than the drama by the bridge, with trees now dominating the landscape, but at the head of the valley another bridge leads back over the water into the gorge below, and the path continues down the left bank, dropping at one point close to a steep drop where the view back up the glen is magnificent.

The scene is reminiscent of a Chinese painting: pine and larch swathe the upper slopes on each side of the cleft, and the little humpbacked bridge is just visible, appearing to hold both sides of the glen together below where it tumbles in a long white slash of waterfall crashing through the gorge.

Interestingly, Robert Burns, Scotland's most renowned poet, came to Bruar in September 1787 after a visit to the Duke of Atholl (who owned the land). At that time there were very few trees around the falls — hard to imagine today — and while Burns was obviously impressed by the rock features and rushing waters, he did not care much for the bare moorland surrounding the water during his visit, which is perhaps why many trees have been planted since to improve the aesthetic of the place.