Glen Affric - Dog Falls officially opens new facilities

Dog Falls at Glen Affric National Nature Reserve has undergone a remarkable upgrade and transformation of facilities that includes a car park extension, toilet facilities upgrade, a new footbridge, safer viewpoints and improved footpath layout and signage.

An official opening ceremony took place yesterday (Thursday 23 May 2024) by The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans and Forestry and Land Scotland Regional Visitor Services Manager, Paul Hibberd and those involved in the project from VisitScotland and local community groups.

The Highland Council’s - Economy and Infrastructure Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: “To see the transformation of this key visitor attraction is truly magnificent, it will bring a great deal of joy to many people who can now enjoy the forest walks and immerse themselves in nature knowing that they have suitable facilities available during their visit.

Rural Tourism Infrastructure Funding totalling £278,000 (administered by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government) as well as funding support from Forestry and Land Scotland enabled this £440k project to become a reality.

Glen Affric is a very popular visitor destination which required significant upgrades to meet the increased footfall to the area, improve the visitor experience, whilst protecting and managing the surrounding landscape. This new facility has been carefully designed to meet the needs of the public whilst being sensitive to the area.”

The project upgrades include an extended car park with disabled parking bays, an improved toilet facility incorporating disabled access, a high capacity bridge, new trail paths and reroute to improve safety and viewpoints.

Chris Taylor, Destination Development Director at VisitScotland, said: “VisitScotland is focused on the responsible growth of tourism and events. To be a sustainable tourism destination, we must ensure the right facilities are in place to cater for the growing demands of both visitors and locals.

“These upgrades at Glen Affric will help to improve the visitor experience and safety at Dog Falls, while supporting the long-term sustainability of this popular visitor destination.”

Paul Hibberd, Visitor Services Manager at Forestry and Land Scotland, said: “Glen Affric continues to draw a high number of visitors each year and by making these significant improvements to facilities and infrastructure, the experience for people visiting this iconic destination will be enhanced in a sustainable way.

“The work completed at Dog Falls by Forestry and Land Scotland - along with local contractors – was funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, via The Highland Council and VisitScotland and we thank them for their support.”