Lealt Falls, Isle of Skye | A Very Helpful Visitor’s Guide
How to explore Lealt Falls, on the Isle of Skye. A very helpful visitor’s guide to parking, viewing platforms, terrain and one of the island’s most dramatic waterfalls.
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Lealt Falls is a dramatic, multi-level waterfall that plunges through a steep gorge before spilling out towards the Sound of Raasay below. From the roadside viewing platform, you can look straight down into the chasm as the river drops sharply through dark rock - one of Skye’s most impressive vertical waterfalls, and one that always stops us in our tracks.
The viewing platform is just a short walk from the road, but the perspective from above is striking. Standing here, you really feel the scale and force of the water as it thunders through the gorge and out towards the coast.
The surrounding cliffs offer a different angle, accessed from a rough track that takes you down to the beach below, where the lower falls spill into a large plunge pool - wild, exposed, and wonderfully atmospheric.
Where is Lealt Falls?
Lealt Falls is located on the eastern side of the Trotternish Peninsula, just off the A855 coastal road. It sits about 15 minutes north of Portree, making it an easy stop on a north Skye driving route.
It’s ideally placed between some of Skye’s most well-known sights, including Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls and the village of Staffin. If you’re exploring the eastern side of Trotternish, you’ll pass it naturally without needing to detour.
Good to know before you stop
Parking: Small, free roadside car park beside the A855. Unmarked bays, parking can be busy.
Time needed: 20 to 45 minutes, depending on whether you go down to the beach.
Access: The viewing platform is close to the car park and easily accessible. The lower trail is steep, uneven, and can be slippery, and is not suitable for those with mobility problems.
Footwear: Sturdy shoes are recommended if walking the hillside path.
Exposure: Open and often windy; take care near cliff edges.
Facilities: Constables’ Coffee Truck; no toilets.
Gaelic: Lealt Falls (or An Leth-Allt) means “the divided burn, or burn with a high bank”.
Getting to Lealt Falls
From the car park, it’s a short, easy walk along a gravel path to the wooden viewing platform overlooking the upper falls.
The viewpoint gives a striking perspective straight down into the gorge, and on a clear day, you’ll also enjoy views west towards the Trotternish mountains and east across the Sound of Raasay towards the mainland - this is one of our favourite coastal viewpoints on Skye.
For those who want to get closer and are feeling energetic, a rough, steep hillside path leads down from the car park towards the beach. From below, the scale and force of the falls are even more apparent as the water thunders through the narrow gorge before reaching the sea.
Along the descent, there are open viewpoints across Invertote Bay, where the crumbling remains of buildings used by salmon fishermen and a late 19th-century diatomite factory can still be seen — remnants of the area’s industrial past.
If you continue along the shoreline, a faint path curves around the hill to the lower falls. Here, the river meets the ocean beside a large plunge pool. Crossing the river without getting wet isn’t always possible, particularly at high tide.
The plunge pool is sometimes used for wild swimming. While the edges are relatively shallow, the centre drops off steeply into deep, very cold water, so caution is essential.
Is Lealt Falls worth stopping for?
Yes - Lealt Falls is well worth including, especially if you’re already driving the Trotternish loop. These falls deliver a big visual payoff, it’s a short, quick stop, and the viewing platform alone makes it one of the most accessible yet dramatic pauses between Skye’s bigger landmarks. The descent to the beach isn’t essential, and there are dramatic views from the cliffside viewing platforms - but the shoreline does offer a quieter, more immersive perspective if conditions are dry and you’re comfortable on rough terrain.
