The Secret Waterfall by Ellie McDonald

There’s a new badly kept secret at Bennachie. It’s a place that’s not so easy to find, but one that suddenly everyone is hearing about. It’s a hidden waterfall hidden deep in the forests surrounding the Mither Tap. I’d heard of a few legends surrounding this hill, one in particular around a giant who supposedly lives in a cave on the hillside, but this was a new discovery for me. So, a friend and I set off determined to find this waterfall one sunny afternoon. We’d had a bit of help with a tip off for the location but we weren’t 100% sure we were on the right track at first.

The exact route, well that I’ll keep to myself! It’s one of the few beauty spots in Aberdeenshire I’ve visited that wasn’t mobbed by crowds, and I hope it stays that way! Or maybe that was because it was a Thursday afternoon…
Guess its affa rude of me not to give away a few clues to its exact location! If you want to find this waterfall, it isn’t marked on the main map at Bennachie visitor centre. It isn’t on the route that leads to the Mither Tap itself (which is still a great route to anyone who hasn’t yet ventured up) but on a track that leads into the forest, behind a few houses.

The waterfall itself is behind a wee ruined Fog House, the name coming from the Scots word for moss, which was a major feature of the building. Sadly, today it’s no more than a ruin, but it’s amazing to think of what it might have looked like. They certainly picked a good spot! To get to the building is a bit of a scramble, there is a wee path going to it, but it is quite uneven underfoot.
This is just one example of the many secrets that Aberdeenshire has to offer if you know where to look. After all it’s a region full of secret Jacobite caves and legends of beasts so of course we have our fair share of hidden gems. I think it’s really important as well to keep a few beauty spots hidden away as well, like this one, to avoid them becoming over-run by crowds. The best spots after all are the ones only a few know about.
Have you got any secret spots the crowds don’t know about yet? If you’ve found this spot before, let me know! If not, best of luck trying to find it and remember, keep the exact spot a wee secret!