Flowerdale Falls
Minimum Time: 2hrs 45mins
Ascent: 800ft
Difficulty Level: 1 - Easy
Paths: Tracks and smooth paths, mostly waymarked, no stiles
Landscape: Gentle river valley and rocky coast
Dog Friendliness: Keep on lead past Flowerdale House (as signs indicate)
Parking: Beach car park, southern end of Gairloch
Public Toilets: Walk start and Charlestown pier
Description:
On a calm day in 1809, three fisherman drowned in Loch Ewe when their small boat was attacked and sunk by a whale. These waters are among the best in Europe for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises). The Gulf Stream brings warm, plankton-rich water and the swirling currents around the islands bring nutrients to the surface. The plankton flourish; the fish eat the plankton; the whales and dolphins eat the fish. Porpoise or Dolphin? The strongest currents are at headlands and narrow sea passages, so these are good places to look for marine wildlife. Calm days are best, and early morning best of all when looking west, as the low sunlight shines off their wet backs. On most summer days, either the harbour porpoise or common dolphin - or possibly both - can be seen, given a little patience, in Loch Gairloch. But which is which? At 6ft (2m) or less, the porpoise is smaller. It has a short, stubby fin compared with the dolphinâs more elegant one. Harbour porpoises are normally shy, but the ones at Gairloch are untypically friendly, often approaching boats. Endangered in the world as a whole, the ones at Gairloch are doing well and a Special Area of Conservation has been proposed for them here.
What the Future Holds. The whaling industry in Scotland ended in 1951, but serious threats remain. Dolphins and porpoises are accidentally caught in fishing nets, and floating plastic rope and old nets are another danger. Pollution from agriculture and forestry releases heavy metals and pesticides into the ocean. Fish farming is also probably damaging the dolphins. More fish sewage than human sewage goes into the Hebridean seas, all of it untreated, and anti-fouling paint on fish farms contributes more chemicals. Cetaceans use sound signals for finding fish, as well as for communication. Interference comes from ships, dredging nets, seismic oil exploration and underwater beepers fitted to fish farms to keep seals away. We donât know how well the dolphins and porpoises are doing. The growth of the whale-spotting industry means that we are just starting to discover how the populations are growing or declining. Marine tourism in Scotland today is a booming trade, supporting several hundred jobs. By going on one of these trips, youâll contribute to crucial research. A responsible boatman will not pursue the animals or steer into the middle of a group, but move quietly and wait for the dolphins to approach the boat.
While you're there: The Gairloch Marine Life Centre has a display on cetaceans, seals and seabirds. It runs two-hour cruises on the Starquest, where youâll see porpoises and seals, and possibly dolphins and minke whales. Every trip contributes to scientific knowledge of the wildlife populations. Cruises depend on the weather and are often fully booked.
Where to eat and drink: The Old Inn, beside the former bridge over the Abhainn Ghlas in Charlestown, offers live music, fresh local seafood (including a cook-what-youcatch service), a barbecue grill and outdoor tables. Dogs are allowed outdoors. The one thing it lacks is a sea view.
Directions:
Cross the road and head up to the right of the newer cemetery. Turn left at its corner, going into trees to a path above. Turn right until a footbridge leads on to a wide path that soon runs downhill. The main path bends right (greentop waymarker) and runs down to a tarred driveway. 2 Turn left along a tarred track to pass Flowerdale House.The track passes to the left of a lovely old barn and turns right at a sign for the waterfall to pass Gairloch Trekking Centre. In about 0.25 mile (400m) you pass a timbersurfaced bridge on the right. 3 Follow the main path ahead, still to the left of the stream, to reach a footbridge built by the Royal Engineers, just before you get to Flowerdale Waterfall. 4 The path leads up past the waterfall to cross a footbridge above. It runs up into a windblown pine clump, then turns back down the valley. After another footbridge it joins a rough track. You pass a memorial to the blind piper of Gairloch, just before a forest road beside Point 3. Turn left, away from the timber-surfaced bridge, through felled forest thatâs regenerating naturally (with birch, alder, pine, willow and rowan). 5 A blue-topped pole marks a path to the right with a footbridge. It leads through scrub birch and bracken with blue waymarker poles. The path bends right at an old fence cornerpost and goes down through bracken and birch to pass above and to the left of an enclosed field. Turn right underneath two large oak trees and cross a small stream to an earth track. 6 Turn left for a few steps, until a small bracken path runs up to the right past a waymarked power pole. The path bends left under oaks, then drops to rejoin the earth track. This soon meets a larger track, which is the old road from Loch Maree to Gairloch. Turn right along this, through a couple of gates, to reach the Old Inn at Charlestown. 7 Cross the old bridge, and the main road, towards the pier. Turn right at the signpost for the beach, to a stepped path to the left of Gairloch Chandlery. The tarred path passes to the left of a pinewood, then turns right into the trees. It bends left and emerges to run along the spine of a small headland. Just before being carried out to sea it turns sharp right, and crosses above a rocky bay to the fort (An Dun). A duckboard path runs along the back of the beach, then turns right to the car park.
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