Scottish landscapes, gardens and waterfalls
The Grey Mare's Tail
Vintage page from 1995.
Between Moffat and Selkirk
A "hanging valley" waterfall: the valley was scoured out by glaciers during the last ice age leaving the outlet burn from Loch Skene falling about 300 feet down a sheer and dangerous cliff face.
Sir Walter Scott wrote in Marmion:
Where deep deep down, and far within
Toils with the rocks the roaring linn;
Then issuing forth one foamy wave,
And wheeling round the giant's grave
White as the snowy charger's tail
Drives down the pass of Moffatdale.
The whole area around these falls belongs to the National Trust for Scotland and is rich in wild flowers. Wild goats can sometimes be seen too.
Nearby St Mary's Loch is well known for fishing, sailing and sail-boarding. If you travel from the loch towards Moffat on the A708 you come to the head of the valley at Dobb's Linn, famous for its very early fossils. The valley opens up below and a car park at the bottom of the Grey Mare's Tail has information panels and maps to help you plan your walk up the side of the falls.
These falls are definitely worth a visit!