Watch ’em, Rupert
Venture into the wilds and be rewarded with stunning ravines, precipices and waterfalls
Rupert Grint has been in all eight Harry Potter movies but has he watched them all? No! He said he’d probably watched the first three at the premieres but after that he stopped. He now has a baby daughter so he’ll probably have to watch them with her. Magic!
Netflix
Netflix last week emailed everyone to tell them subscriptions were going up which, depending on your package, is a fair old hike. Now I’ll be paying somewhere close to £120 a year for the streaming service which on one hand has helped us through lockdown. On the other, Netflix seems to be increasingly throwing our money at things like Firefly Lane, a sentimental soap starring Katherine Heigl. Nothing wrong with a soap opera, but one this maudlin belongs in another era.the amount of soft focus shots made me check my telly was working correctly; sadly it was.
Falls of Glomach
Eighteen miles east of Kyle of Lochalsh off A87 near Shiel Bridge via Strath Croe to bridge. Walk starts other side; there are other ways (eg, from the SYHA Hostel in Glen Affric) but this is most straightforward. Allow 5/7 hours for the pilgrimage to one of Britain’s highest falls (370ft). Path is steep and it can be wet with mist and low cloud. Glomach means gloomy and you might feel so, peering into the ravine; from precipice to pool it’s 200m. Vertigo factor and sense of achievement both fairly high. Consult walkhighlands.co.uk or locally. Ranger: 01599 511231.
The Grey Mare’s Tail
Between Moffat and Selkirk on the wildly scenic A708. About halfway, there’s a car park and signs for waterfall. It’s five miles from Tibbie Shiels Inn. There’s also a café and wild campsite. The lower track takes 10/15 mins to a viewing place still 500m from falls; the higher track, on the other side of the Tail burn, threads between the hills and up to Loch Skene, from which the falls overflow (45/60 mins). Then do the circular trail above you for an all-round satisfying day in the Borders. Mountain goats scamper.
Lealt Falls
Impressive torrent of wild mountain water about 20km north of Portree, Skye, on the A855. Look for sign: River Lealt. There’s a car park on a bend on right (going north). Walk to grassy ledges and look over or go down to the beach. Kilt Rock, a viewpoint much favoured by bus parties, is a few miles further.
Reekie Linn
Five miles north of Kirriemuir on B951 between Bridge of Craigisla and Bridge of Lintrathen. A picnic site and car park on bend of road leads by 200m to the wooded gorge of Glen Isla with precipitous viewpoints of the defile where Isla is squeezed and falls in tiers for 100ft. Walk further along the glen and look back.