If you know me then you’ll know my favourite spot, probably in the whole world, is a little hill in Aberdeenshire called Bennachie. I’ve been up this hill more times than I can count and in all weather’s from sunshine to snow! Well recently, thanks to a local Instagram account Aberdeenshire Walks, I learned of the existence of Bennachie’s Hidden Waterfall and of course I had to go on the hunt for this mythic place!
As I said I have been all over this hill and never knew about the hidden waterfall until this year so I was quite excited to go on the hunt for it, especially now that summer is in full swing. It is relatively easy to find if you know where to look and part of the fun is finding it so I won’t give it away completely but I will point you in the right direction because it is truly a beautiful spot!
Wether you are starting from the Bennachie Visitor Centre carpark or the Rowan Tree carpark the first thing you need to do is find the Turnpike Trail. From the Bennachie Visitor Centre carpark this is quite well signposted but if you are starting at Rowan Tree and new to the trails it can be easily missed. Once on the Turnpike Trail continue until you find a small stream that leads into a thicker area of trees. If you walk parallel to the water you will definitely find the waterfall, if the path you are following starts to drift from the stream then you have taken the wrong trail and should head back to the Turnpike until you find the correct path.
It really is that easy, I won’t give you any more clues as I’ll spoil the fun! After finding the waterfall make sure to make the climb to the top of Bennachie; if you’re looking for a more gentle climb then I recommend the Maiden Causeway (accessed from the Rowan Tree carpark) as even though it is still a steep climb towards the end, there are less large rocks to climb over. The Timeline Trail is the easiest to access from the Bennachie Visitor Centre carpark and is the one with the most nostalgia for me but some of those steps towards the end are very high! Let me know if you find the hidden waterfall by tagging (@welltravelledlass) me in your Instagram captions or leave a comment below!
Well Travelled Lass 
I have also been on the hunt and from your brief description and that given by a couple of ladies earlier in the week I found it. The light wasn’t good and there were some guys filming a bottle of whisky. I will definitely return. Thank you
Fantastic! Glad you found it 😊
Thank you for your tips about finding the Bennachie Waterfall. Like you, I have climbed the tops of Bennachie many times but only heard about the waterfall relatively recently. However, it took me 3 attempts to find it — a couple of weeks ago I started from the Rowan Tree car park and found the stream, but was too high up as I was not on the correct path for the Turnpike Trail. Today I started at the Bennachie Centre and found the Turnpike Trail and the stream easily, but then spent an hour heading in the wrong direction parallel to the stream! I had a quick look in the opposite direction but gave up quite quickly as the whole area has been devastated by fallen trees, presumably from the big storm in November last year. However, a little later I met a lady walking her dogs who knew exactly where the waterfall was, and after following her directions I managed to find it. It is certainly impressive but the fallen trees make it now much more difficult to find and also more difficult to photograph.
Oh wow an adventure! I’m glad it is still possible to find it. I took a walk a few weeks ago trying to find it again but gave up because of the fallen trees, such a shame to see so many down.
Thanks for the quick reply, and it is very sad to see so many trees down. The best way to find the waterfall now is not to follow the stream from the Turnpike Trail, but to look for a short branch path closer to the Rowan Tree end which leads to the top of the waterfall above the worst of the fallen trees. However, great care is needed towards the end of the path as the ground is both rough and slippy.
We tried hard to find it today but to no avail. The trees down cause a lot of obstacles getting down. But think we know where it is here’s to finding it next Sunday.
Yeah I went back last Sunday to try and find it again and no luck! Will be trying again Thursday so I’ll comment if I find it
Interesting to read the new comments about the waterfall. Since my last comment in November last year I have been back a couple more times. The quickest way to get there is to start at the Rowan Tree car park and get onto the Turnpike Trail by turning left at the first horizontal path on the main route up Bennachie. After about 15 – 20 mins on the path there is a wet stony section as the path leads down towards the stream, and you will see fallen trees ahead. Look out for a narrow rough branch path heading off to the right. This path peters out near the stream but above most of the fallen trees. Then continue over rough ground for a short distance upwards parallel to the stream and finally cross boggy ground to get to the top of the waterfall. Considerable care is needed towards the end as you are right above a deep ravine into which the waterfall descends. Good luck — after all the rain we have had recently, the waterfall should be looking good!