Linn Falls Waterfall

Linn Falls (also known as Linn of Ruthrie) is always somewhere I've driven past while going somewhere else, like Aviemore or Pitlochry. Aberlour seems like a lovely little town but I always seem to go through it and never stop despite all the great-looking wee shops, distillery, the River Spey (and Speyside Way) and of course Linn Falls.

My family and I had just visited Auchindoun Castle and Balvenie Castle, so we decided to finish up with the lovely forested walk to the waterfall in Aberlour.

The directions online aren't that great to be honest, so hopefully in this article I can clear up where to park and where to begin your walk to Linn Falls!

Where do you park for Linn Falls Aberlour?

Many of the online guides say to park in the centre of town, and then walk into the suburbs to get to the falls, however, I found the best place to park is directly off the A95 on the west side of Aberlour, near the football park.

From here cross the A95 and head back into Aberlour toward the distillery. You want to be on the left side of the Burn of Aberlour that flows northwest towards you. Cross a wooden footbridge over the stream, then you should see a green sign labelled "Footpath to the falls".

Aberlour distillery

Following this path takes you on a lovely walk alongside the burn, over well-maintained paths and directly across lies Aberlour distillery. You can see many of the industrial buildings associated with the distillery, and also directly into where the copper stills are located. There is a sweet smell of whisky too, not something you would normally associate with a lovely forest walk, but there you go.

The high alcohol content in the air affects vegetation nearby, making tree trunks darker, I'm not sure how accurate this is though!

The woodland path

Passing Aberlour distillery completely, you arrive at the best part of the walk, which is entirely through woodland and the path follows the Aberlour burn to your immediate right. The path can be a bit muddy so it's worth wearing some wellies or walking boots, the walk is quite short though and will only take 10-15 minutes at a brisk pace. Take your time and take in the views of this calming location.

White Butterbur

We spotted odd white flowers along the banks of both sides of the burn, it looks quite unusual with its large head of white flowers. Luckily my wife had a handy flora identification app on her phone and managed to find out more about it - it was White butterbur, a species of Petasites named "Petasites Albus". It ends up it is actually an invasive species and at some point in the future will be eradicated from the area. Sad as it was quite pretty but I guess the overall health of the forest and natural environment is more important.

This area is also packed with mosses and rare lichens, keep your eyes open for unusual flora on this walk, I wonder if being situated near the whisky distillery attracts rarer forms of plant life for some reason.

Wildlife

A plethora of wildlife calls the forests around Aberlour home including rare species such as:

• Wild cats

• Pine Martens

• Roe and red deer

• Badgers

• Foxs

• Bats

• Red squirrels

And of course, the Spey River itself is considered an area of special scientific interest due to its populations of Atlantic salmon, sea lamprey, otters and freshwater mussels.

The Linn Falls clearing

After a relaxing walk taking in all the sights along the way, we arrived at an open clearing and could hear the rush of water. We got a little closer and finally saw Linn Falls to our left.

The waterfall was bigger than I expected, the many photos I had seen online didn't do it justice and I was quite impressed with the vista before me.

I had my camera with me and there were ample opportunities for different photos. A lot of washed-up tree branches and other debris made for an interesting foreground with the falls in the background. I could have spent a while here trying different angles and longer shutter speeds, but I just got a few shots because I didn't want to bore my kids.

From here you can continue the walk up past the falls which turns into a circular walk that would take you to the shore of the Spey eventually, but on this occasion, we decided to just retrace our steps back to the car.

Can you swim in Linn Falls?

Sure, there's nothing to stop you from swimming... but it will be cold! Don't swim alone in case you get into trouble!

The Aberlour Burn to the River Spey

The Burn of Aberlour stream from Linn Falls is actually a tributary from the nearby mountain - Ben Rinnes - to the River Spey and terminates a short distance past the A95.

What else can I see near Linn Falls / Aberlour?

Attractions in Aberlour:

• Aberlour high street - peppered with lovely wee shops and cafes.

• Aberlour Distillery.

• The Spey Larder - great sandwiches and other delicious items.

• Speyside Executive Hire whisky tours.

• The Speyside Way walk.

• Many local walks.

Near Aberlour:

• Craigellachie Bridge - A cast-iron arch bridge dating from 1812 designed by Thomas Telford.

• Speyside Cooperage Visitor Centre.

• Keith & Dufftown Railway.

• Balvenie Castle.

• Auchindoun Castle.

• Ballindalloch Castle.

• Balvenie Distillery.

• Macallan Distillery.

• Glenfiddich Distillery.

• Millbuies Country Park

• Loch an Bo

• Golf at Dufftown and Rothes, Elgin to the north or Ballindalloch to the south.

• Rothes Castle

Videos of Linn Falls

Here are a couple of videos from our visit to Linn Falls.  Please reduce your volume a little as the water sounds can be loud.

 

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our walk to Linn Falls, it was a spectacular waterfall and did not disappoint. It's definitely worth stopping while passing through Aberlour on your travels around Scotland. We would like to visit Aberlour again and try the Spey Larder in particular for a picnic! Maybe next time!