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Plodda Falls – 10 Helpful Things to Know Before You Visit

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Plodda Falls is a dramatic waterfall set in Glen Affric.

It’s easily reached on foot with the option of a longer walk through wonderful woodlands as well.

Check out all you need to know including details of a cake shed!

1. Plodda Falls – Where it Is And How to Get There

Plodda Falls is located 5 miles from the village of Tomich. It’s on a Forestry Commission site.

The postcode to reach Plodda is IV4 7LY but you need to keep going 1.75 miles further on to reach the car park.

This Forestry Commission track is quite rough and muddy so be warned and take it steady.


2. You Can Do a Circular Drive to Plodda Falls

There is a lovely circular drive that you can do to reach Plodda Falls.

Take the A862 towards Beauly from Inverness. Just before reaching Beauly (just after crossing the bridge with traffic lights over the Beauly River), take the left turn onto the A831. This is scenic road that follows the river.

Continue past the Aigas Centre, and pass under the ropes which are for squirrels to safely cross the road!

Eventually, you will arrive at Cannich. Continue straight on, passing the cemetery on your right hand side. The road follows alongside the River Glass and bears round to the left. After crossing the river there is a right turn which is signed for Plodda Falls.


The road takes you through the pretty little village of Tomich. The hotel is the on the right, with a little cafe on the left.

You continue along this road until you reach another sign for Plodda Falls and this is where the road becomes more of a track. It is quite a wide track and it was also quite busy. It is about 3 miles along this road to reach Plodda Falls car park.

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3. There Are Two Walking Routes to Reach Plodda Falls

How long is Plodda Falls walk?

If you take the shortest route to the Falls the walk is around 10 – 15 minutes each way. This takes you from the car park to the viewing platform.There is a longer circular walk which takes about 1.5 hours depending on your walking speed.

Plodda Falls – Direct Route

Take the left turn out of the car park and you will come to the falls in about a quarter of a mile. The path will bring you to the upper viewing platform which is a wooden platform. It extends out past the start of the falls, giving you a straight down view of a 150′ drop.

This walk takes about 30 minutes to complete depending on your walking speed.

You can extend this walk a little bit by going down to the lower viewing point of Plodda Falls.

Plodda Falls – Tweedmouth Route

If you want a longer circular walking route then follow the Tweedmouth route. This is the path which goes straight on from the car park. This route takes you down through the woods and then brings you back alongside the river.

The walk through the woods is quite narrow in places and it is a track through the woods rather than a path. There are some amazingly tall and old trees here.

On the lower section of the walk after you have passed through the woods you will get a view of Plodda Cottage which is a super cute cottage with dingly dell type feel to it.

You will then arrive at the riverside where there is a handily located picnic bench.

The walk alongside the river is quite steep. As you come up beside the river there is a little path down to the right with a number of steps. This will take you to the lower viewpoint where you get a great view of Plodda Falls, although it is difficult to get it all in one photo shot!

This walk takes about 1 hour to complete depending on your walking speed.

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plodda falls falls view the professional traveller


4. There Are No Toilets at Plodda Falls

There are no toilet facilities at Plodda Falls. There are no public toilets in the nearest village of Tomich 🙁

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5. There are Midges at Plodda Falls

There can be quite a lot of midges at Plodda Falls, especially around the car park area and through the woods.

6. Plodda Falls Can Be Quite Muddy

The walk alongside the river was muddy in places and also the walk through the woods. Be prepared with some sturdy waterproof walking shoes.

If you are walking the Tweedmouth route then there are quite a number of rocks and tree roots to navigate and it is quite steep in places too.


7. Plodda Falls Has a Cake Shed Nearby

On the return from Plodda Falls we saw a sign for Sue’s Cake Shed. This is just as you get to the end of the Forestry Commission track and are about to return onto the tarmac road. It’s well worth a little diversion.

Take a left turn instead of going back to Tomich. A few hundred yards on the left you will see a tiny shed. Inside are a selection of cakes in boxes with prices on the box and an honesty box.

The price is per packet of cakes, not each individual cake. We enjoyed lovely Ginger cake, scones and brownies. I would recommend turning round using the bottom of Sue’s drive way otherwise it is a long drive down a fairly pot holed track to find a turning point.

(Sue’s cake shed is not open all year round)

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8. Plodda Falls is Close to Tomich Village

Tomich is a very small village set in Glen Affric. For a real get away in the Scottish Highlands this is a lovely spot. It would be an ideal place to stay and enjoy a nice walk to Plodda Falls.

Want to Stay in Tomich?

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Plodda Falls – What’s Nearby?


Plodda Falls

9. Lovely Old Fountain Nearby

On the way back to Tomich take a moment to stop for a look at the Tweedmouth fountain. It was built to remember the Earl and Countess of Tweedmouth who are depicted on either side of the fountain. However, I really liked the dog’s heads on the water pipes. How lovely the fountain must has looked when it was all working.

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Plodda Falls

10. A Really Interesting Doggy Statue

Just next door to the fountain is a lovely statue of a dog. It’s a Golden Retriever that was first bred on the Guisachan estate. 


Just across from the statue is a cute little free lending library. Unfortunately, it was shut due to Covid19 but the next time I return I will take a book with me and hopefully do a swop.


The cafe was closed by the time we got back – it was open from 10am to 3pm. There was a nice table outside that I had my eye on – again another reason to go back!

Plodda Falls FAQs

What height are Plodda Falls?

Plodda Falls are 46 metres high or 150 feet high. This makes them very impressive and the biggest waterfall in the area.

Can You Drive to Plodda Falls?

You can easily drive to Plodda Falls. The road is fine until the very last section which is quite a rough forestry track so you need to take extra care driving the last section.
There is free parking when you get close to Plodda falls themselves.

Can You Swim in Plodda Falls?

You can swim at Plodda Falls if you want to. As with any river you need to be aware of changing water levels.

What is the postcode for the Plodda falls car park?

The postcode is IV4 7LY. This takes you to the track that you need to drive down for 1.5 miles in order to reach the car park.

Page Links:

Guisachan Estate

Forestry Commission Scotland

Further Reading;

If you have found this article about Plodda Falls useful then you might also like;

Reelig Glen – a magical woodland easy circular walk near Inverness

Highlands Road Trip – a lovely one or two day circular driving route with waterfalls and much more

The Scottish Highlands – fabulous in any season

Get more travel ideas on my Scottish Highlands page

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