Just a few minutes walk from the little town of Foyers on the south side of Loch Ness you find a wonderful surprising sight called the Falls of Foyers.

One of the many sights I would have missed entirely without the generous help and guidance of our hotel hostess at The Steadings. We had planned to leave our remote hotel on the south side and head straight for the tip at Ft Augusts and then make our way up the north side where most of the tourist generally go.

But after a bit of looking at the map and seeing just how much there was actually to see on this side of the famous loch - we decided to head down its winding back roads to see for ourselves. Only a few moments from the shore of the loch you come to Foyers, a very small little settlement consisting of a little shop and cafe directly across from the walk down to the falls.

I admit that I am often hesitant about going to see waterfalls that I have never heard of. I should probably - as a photographer with an adventurous spirit - get very excited about the prospect of a hike through the hills to find a secluded fall. But in reality I rarely do get very excited, as so often these little falls are an area's only claim to fame and not really worth the time to get out to see them.

This one, however, left me extremely pleasantly surprised. The first thing you encounter heading down the somewhat steep, but very walkable steps towards the falls are signs and cameras making you aware of the local red squirrel inhabitants. Once an animal that filled the Scottish forest, now it is quite rare, and as you will see by the local's reaction - people get very excited when they do spot one.

Walking sites reckon you should allow 1.5 hours to walk the falls. I am assuming this allows for time to stop and view both the top and bottom view of the falls, and walk slowly back up. It’s not a hard walk, though it does at first appear rather steep.

The falls, themselves though are beautiful. The first bit of luck the heavy rain afforded us was a very full and rushing waterfall that made for some wonderful photos. The path and steps are well made and though they can be very slippery in the often wet weather - even out of shape this isn't a trying climb. It’s also worth seeing both ends of the falls. Both the top and bottom view offer some wonderful photo opportunities, and the surrounding countryside and forest are wonderful in their own right.

This is a stop well worth making in your time in Inverness-shire. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but then most things in the highlands are.