glen nevis | travelforkids

Glen Nevis is a gorgeous Highlands valley, crystal clear river running the length, Ben Nevis towering above, at the end of the valley is Steall Falls. We spent a glorious summer day hiking Glen Nevis, and kids will have a great time.

Bring along a picnic and bottled water, and after your hike, an ice cream at the Visitor Centre is delicious.

The hike starts at the Upper Falls or Lower Falls car park, the trail climbs up above the river below, and comes out in a spectacular meadow and wide valley. The waterfall cascades down at the eastern end of the valley. It's a magical landscape!

Follow the trail toward the waterfall. At the fork in the trail, the path goes right to a cable bridge over the river to get close to the waterfall. You can decide whether to use this bridge to cross the river - older kids will like the adventure of balancing on a single cable (this is the real thing, not Disneyland), but younger kids are not tall enough to reach the hand cables.

Taking the trail to the left, the river widens out and is much shallower, the meadows are lovely. It's not necessary to cross the river to enjoy the waterfall. Just spread out your picnic lunch, with a view of the waterfall, and enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Starting at the Lower Falls car park, the hike is 3.7 miles (6 km) round trip. One section of the path is high above the river, there are no guard rails. The trail is wide, well-maintained, but rocky in spots (very similar to trails in Yosemite).

About safety. At the beginning of the trail is a sign “ Fatal accidents have happened on this path.” We asked about this in Fort William, and people told us that accidents were rare, and due to icy conditions in winter, when rocks are very slippery.

We wouldn't recommend hiking the trail in winter, but in summer, kids can hike this trail. Closed toed shoes are essential, no flip flops, and take care if the rocks are wet.

Hike the valley - Trails run the length of Glen Nevis, from Steall Falls to the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre. After Steall Falls, if you have older kids or teens who need to stretch their legs, it's a wonderful hike down the valley, following the path on the east side of the Nevis River. Even in summer, the trail between Lower Falls and the Youth Hostel can be a big boggy and muddy through the meadows, but is easy walking, level or downhill.

Riverside Footpath - For younger kids, or if you only have a short time to hike in Glen Nevis, take the Riverside Walk from the Visitor Centre.

Follow the signs to the river, then cross the bouncy suspension bridge (this is fun), and turn right, follow the footpath up along the river (you'll probably see fluffy sheep grazing) to the youth hostel. Cross the bridge there, and then follow the track down on the west side of the river, to the Visitor Centre, where you started.