Plodda Falls

Plodda Falls is a waterfall about 46 m (151 ft) high that drops straight down a rock face into a gorge, deep in tall conifer woods 5 miles beyond the village of Tomich. From Drumnadrochit it is about 19 miles by car, roughly 45 minutes, because the last miles are a narrow road and then a forest track. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) runs the site. Parking costs £5 for the day.

The reason to come is the viewing platform. It sticks out over the very lip of the falls, so you look straight down the column of water into the gorge. Then a path takes you to the bottom to look back up.

Getting there from Drumnadrochit

FLS calls the drive “quite an adventure”. Take the A831 west up Glen Urquhart. After about 10 miles, at a sharp right-hand bend just before Cannich, turn left onto the minor road signed for Tomich. Follow it for about 6¼ miles, through Tomich village. After Tomich the road becomes a forest track; keep going to the car park. Drive slowly and use the passing places.

Checked October 2026:

	Detail
Distance from Drumnadrochit	About 19 miles; about 43 min by OSRM routing, longer in practice
Satnav	IV4 7LY is on the approach road; the car park is 1¾ miles (2.8 km) further
Car park grid ref	NH 279 238
Parking	£2 up to 1 hour, £3 up to 3 hours, £5 all day, £12 minibus or coach
Payment	Card or RingGo; Blue Badge holders free
Same ticket valid at	The Glen Affric car parks (Dog Falls, Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhain, River Affric)
Facilities	Picnic area; no toilets listed; snacks at the Coach House Cafe in Tomich
Bus	Stagecoach 17 reaches Tomich from Inverness, Monday to Saturday; the falls are 5 miles further

Mobile signal is patchy around Glen Affric, so sort out RingGo before you leave Cannich.

The Plodda Falls walk

Checked October 2026 (FLS route card and Walkhighlands):

Route	Distance	Time	Notes
Plodda Falls Trail (FLS)	1.0 km	About 30 min	Straight to the platform at the top and back; steep slopes and stone steps
Tweedmouth Trail (FLS)	2.4 km	About 1 hour	Loop through the Douglas firs to the bottom of the falls, then up to the platform
Walkhighlands route	2.5 km, 94 m ascent	1 hour	Same loop, described in detail

Walkhighlands suggests saving the falls for the end. Follow the main track signed for the Tweedmouth Trail and Plodda Falls Trail downhill through the big Douglas firs, which it calls some of the highest in Scotland. Turn off on the green-and-white waymarked path, drop through the forest to the old carriage drive by Plodda Cottage, then climb towards the falls.

A side path leads down to the foot of the falls. From here, Walkhighlands says, the water plunges vertically into a twisting gorge so close that it is hard to fit in a photograph. In spate the spray soaks anyone on the path. Back at the junction, stone steps climb to the platform at the top.

Both FLS trails are graded moderate: mostly firm gravel, but with narrow, rocky or muddy sections, exposed roots and steep steps. Wear proper shoes.

Lord Tweedmouth’s estate

Most of the big trees are Victorian. FLS says Lord Tweedmouth, a rich brewer and Liberal MP, bought the area from Laird Fraser in 1856. He planted most of the Douglas fir, larch, grand fir and redwoods you walk through, and built Guisachan House, which has since gone. Walkhighlands adds that timber from this wood was used for the masts of Captain Scott’s ship Discovery.

In 1880 Tweedmouth built a bridge across the top of the falls as a showpiece for guests. The Forestry Commission closed it as dangerous in 2005, and the cantilevered viewing platform replaced it in 2009. FLS also passes on a local story that Tweedmouth had the river’s course changed to make the falls more impressive; treat that as a story.

The golden retriever is said to have been bred first at Guisachan, by Tweedmouth, in 1868, and a bronze retriever statue was unveiled in Tomich in 2014 to mark the link.

Plodda and Glen Affric in one day

Plodda shares its parking ticket with the Glen Affric car parks, so it is easy to do both. Allow about an hour at Plodda, drive back to the A831 and on through Cannich, and spend the afternoon at Dog Falls. The Glen Affric guide covers the walks there. No tour on GetYourGuide stops at Plodda; the nearest option is a day trip from Inverness that includes a walk in Glen Affric.

On the way back towards Loch Ness, Corrimony Cairn is just off the A831 in Glen Urquhart. For a base, see where to stay at Loch Ness.