A gorgeous hike and dip in the southern uplands of Scotland, near the town of Moffat. This dramatic waterfall is one of the UK’s highest, plunging 60m down into the Moffat Water Valley.

Overview:

Distance: 5km
Elevation gain: 320m
Format: Out and back trail
Time: 1hr - 2+hrs (depending if you’re swimming)
Opening times: daily, all year
Start / End / Parking: Trail Head Car Park is £5 - for the National Trust for Scotland
Trail difficulty: Easy +
This trail has a well built path, but it is very steep. Give yourself plenty of time and take breaks if needed.
Read about my trail grading here.
Trail quality: 5/5, very well maintained
Views: 5/5, gorgeous for a short out and back trail
Buggy/Wheelchair friendly: No
Dogs allowed: On a lead
When did I walk this route: July 2025
External resources:

Recently I went to the borderlands of England and Scotland to visit some family. It was a whirlwind trip, and on my final day I only had a couple of hours to spare as I made my way back to the west coast for an early ferry the next morning. The dramatic contours of this valley immediately jumped out at me as I looked at where I’d be driving near, and so I detoured to Grey Mare's Tail Waterfall Car Park.

The trailhead is open year round, and there is a £5 fee for the upkeep to the National Trust for Scotland. I parked up with the other cars and vans of varying sizes, and headed up the trail in glorious sunshine. This is a small but mighty hike - you do the majority of the climbing (200m) in the first 1km, with the remaining 1+km to the lake twisting through hummocky uplands.

Because of the lumpy terrain, you can’t see the lake until you arrive right on the shore. Surrounding the loch are the peaks of Lochcraig Head, Mid Craig and the summit of White Coomb (821m). There are several little solo shores along the twisting sides of the lake, and I had a corner all to myself for my swim.

This whole area is a nature reserve, and on the way up I’d smiled and waved at the wild goats across the river from me. As I sat on a rock post swim, I noticed a large bird of prey carrying some food circle above me. My first wild Osprey! The Scottish National Trust reports that you can also find peregrine falcons, ring ouzels, rare upland plants, and Britain’s rarest freshwater fish, the vendace.

I met solo walkers and rag-tag families, with some only making it a short way up the hill before stopping to take photos and head back down. There is a short trail on the south side of the river (same side as the car park), that brings you a short ways in towards the bottom of the waterfall, although not the whole way (it looked like it became too rugged for safe walking).

A wonderful short but intense walk, it was exactly what I needed before driving on to Stranraer. This trip has made it even more apparent how much I would love to spend a while hiking in Scotland. Until the next time!