Inversnaid Falls

Inversnaid Falls is a rocky cascade on the Arklet Burn, just south of Inversnaid Hotel on Loch Lomond’s eastern shore. Also called Arklet Falls, it drops towards the loch beside a footbridge on the West Highland Way. You get close to moving water without taking on a long waterfall hike. Make time for it if you’re already coming to Inversnaid; the journey here is a much bigger undertaking than the walk to the falls.

From the hotel parking area, follow the path south to the burn. Paths, steps and bridges give you different angles on the cascade and the pool below. Allow about 20 minutes as a relaxed stop, longer if you want to linger on the shore. That’s a suggested visit time, not a walking circuit you need to complete.

The bridge is the useful place to pause: you can see how the burn tumbles over the rocks before reaching the much wider water of the loch. Frame the cascade with the rocks and pool below it rather than trying to fit the whole shoreline into one photograph. Keep to the path and bridge for that view.

The rushing burn also has a literary connection. Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote about it in his poem Inversnaid, celebrating the survival of wild, wet places. You don’t need to know the poem to appreciate the setting, but it’s a good reason to spend a moment watching the stream rather than just ticking off another waterfall.

By road, approach from Aberfoyle along the B829 past Loch Ard and Loch Chon. A passenger boat connection from Tarbet offers another way to arrive; check the sailing and return arrangements before relying on it. Don’t confuse the short walk at the destination with quick access from the west-shore road.

The steps around the falls matter if you have limited mobility. Nearby hotel facilities are separate from the waterfall, so check with the hotel about refreshments or toilet access rather than assuming they’re public waterfall amenities.