Corrieshalloch Gorge

What makes it special

Corrieshalloch is a slot gorge about 1.5 km long and 60 metres deep, yet only 10 metres wide at its lip. Meltwater from the ice sheets cut it along lines of weakness in the bedrock, which is why the walls fall so sheer. The River Droma drops 100 metres through it in a run of waterfalls, the biggest of them the Falls of Measach at roughly 45 metres.

The bridge across it dates from 1874 and was built by Sir John Fowler, one of the engineers behind the Forth Bridge. It spans the gorge just below the Falls of Measach, with the river far beneath it.

The full drop of the falls only shows from the far side, where a viewing platform projects out into the gorge.

Look at the walls as well as the water. They stay dark and damp, and they hold ferns, feather mosses and wood millet, a plant otherwise rare in northwest Scotland. Grazing has stripped most of these plants from the open hills of Wester Ross.

Visiting

Two paths leave the car park, and they show the gorge in different ways. The short one is steep, wide and gravelled, and it runs straight down to the suspension bridge.

Check with the National Trust for Scotland that the bridge is open before you go. Cross it, then follow the path along the far side to the viewing platform. The Trust advises no more than six on the bridge at once, so wait at the end if a group is already crossing.

Come back the same way, uphill to the car park. The second path is more level, a 1.1 km trail round the top of the gorge to a viewpoint looking along Loch Broom towards Ullapool. Watch for ravens nesting on a ledge near the bridge in spring.

Tips

If heights trouble you, the bridge is the harder part. It sways slightly in a breeze, though it is sturdy, and it is the way to the platform on the far side. The level loop round the top gives you the view along Loch Broom without the crossing.

Wear shoes with grip: the paths are slippery whenever the falls are running hard. Keep dogs on a lead the whole way and children close beside you near the edges.