Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
about 16 hours ago
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
2 days ago
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
3 days ago
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Garbh Allt Falls Bridge
AO Edited

Garbh Allt Falls Bridge

More than a century old, this cast iron bridge on the Balmoral Estate leads to nowhere.

Ballater, Scotland

Added By
John Dacey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Garbh Allt Falls Footbridge.   Nigel Corby / CC BY-SA 2.0
The Garbh Allt Falls Footbridge.   Nigel Corby / CC BY-SA 2.0
The Garbh Allt falls from the bridge footpath.   rugby007 / Atlas Obscura User
View of the falls above the bridge.   rugby007 / Atlas Obscura User
View of the falls below the bridge.   rugby007 / Atlas Obscura User
Footpath up to the bridge.   rugby007 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Deep inside Queen Elizabeth's Balmoral Estate is a beautiful iron bridge arching over the Falls of Garbh Allt. From the rough forest road, there is an easy footpath that leads to the bridge, but there is no path on the far side. Queen Victoria loved the falls and commissioned the bridge as a way to better enjoy the site and, in many ways, appreciate the falls more fully.

The bridge, formally described as a "cast-iron segmental bridge with decorative railings," was crafted by Blaikie Brothers of Aberdeen, Scotland, and carries a manufacturer nameplate attesting to it, dated 1878. The bridge is also known as Queen Victoria's Bridge to Nowhere. 

Above and below the bridge are stunning waterfalls and several contain natural pools for swimming. 

Related Tags

Nature History & Culture Architecture Royalty Bridges

Know Before You Go

Know that this beautiful bridge and its falls are on the royal family's estate, private property, but are fully accessible by the public, if you know how to get there. The bridge does not show on Google Maps and despite many photos, there is no definitive address. It is deep within the royal estate.

There is no charge to access the site. The road is however a rough forest road, best navigated with a 4x4 vehicle. There is a small area to park off the road, but be careful not to block the roadway.

Community Contributors

Added By

rugby007

Published

December 31, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/record/hes/29699
  • https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200400445-garbh-allt-falls-bridge-crathie-and-braemar#.YbFTJVlOmUk
  • http://happypontist.blogspot.com/2012/09/scottish-bridges-50-falls-of-gharb-allt.html
  • https://canmore.org.uk/site/29699/balmoral-estate-falls-of-garbh-allt-footbridge
  • https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17574631
  • https://canmore.org.uk/site/29699/balmoral-estate-falls-of-garbh-allt-footbridge
Garbh Allt Falls Bridge
Ballochbuie Forest
Ballater, Scotland
United Kingdom
56.984879, -3.329413
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Corgarff Castle

Corgarff, Scotland

miles away

Burn O'Vat

Aberdeenshire, Scotland

miles away

CairnGorm Mountain Railway

Highland, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 739
Stories 49

Nearby Places

Corgarff Castle

Corgarff, Scotland

miles away

Burn O'Vat

Aberdeenshire, Scotland

miles away

CairnGorm Mountain Railway

Highland, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 739
Stories 49

Related Places

  • Conwy Suspension Bridge

    Conwy, Wales

    Conwy Suspension Bridge

    One of the oldest suspension bridges in the world blends in perfectly with a medieval castle.

  • Vigo Bridge

    Chioggia, Italy

    Vigo Bridge

    A bridge to rival those in nearby Venice but without the crowds.

  • La Margineda Bridge

    Andorra la Vella, Andorra

    La Margineda Bridge

    You can still walk across this beautiful medieval bridge in Andorra.

  • Ponte de Linhares Causeway

    Penha de França, India

    Ponte de Linhares Causeway

    Believed to have been the longest bridge in the world when it was completed in 1634.

  • Pero's Bridge

    Bristol, England

    Pero's Bridge

    This pedestrian footbridge honors Pero Jones, an enslaved African who lived in Bristol.

  • Ashland Bridge

    Wilmington, Delaware

    Ashland Bridge

    The smallest and oldest covered bridge in Delaware.

  • Queen Victoria Bridge

    Madrid, Spain

    Queen Victoria Bridge

    This modernist bridge highlights the bear as a symbol of Madrid.

  • A replica Bradac on the Prague Venice wharf.

    Prague, Czechia

    Bradáč

    The medieval "Bearded Man" relief still serves as a clever flood warning marker.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.