Today was Ben’s birthday and we had a delightful picnic with cake and whisky beside the Falls of Dess. I never knew these falls existed and what a wonderful find they are at only 40 minutes by car west of Aberdeen along a lovely forested walk near the quaint village of Kincardine O’Neil.
Ben and I have always admired Kincardine O’Neil. It’s a little village with a claim that it’s the oldest in Deeside. I’m not sure how old it is but there’s been a church at the site of the ruin on the main road since the 5th century. The current structure on the site dates from the 14th century. It has no roof but is stable and well-maintained.
The walk to the falls and back is about 4.5 miles, starting from Pitmurchie Road off the A93 and then turning left onto Deeside Way path. The start of the walk is beside fields with views to the village beyond.
Most of the walk is forested with occasional glimpses of farmland and the undulating landscape through the trees.
The falls themselves are beautiful. They were bigger than I was expecting and quite noisy so you know they’re near when you get close because you can hear the water. Indeed we took a wrong turn at one point but we could hear the water and followed the sound.
The waterfall is in the Dess Burn which is at the bottom of a gorge with quite steep sides. At the top of the one of the sides we found the perfect spot for our picnic and cake.
And a nip of whisky!
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