Grey Mare's Tail
Ross McDowell / Tartan Compass
Grey Mare's Tail is the dramatic entrance to a much larger Southern Upland landscape of water, high ground, grazing and wildlife.
People experience Grey Mare's Tail at very different levels. For some the waterfall itself is enough; walkers, runners and mountaineers may be drawn much farther into the surrounding uplands, while winter conditions can bring another outdoor community altogether. The landscape above the fall contains Loch Skeen, moorland, blanket bog and high mountain ground. Sheep grazing remains part of the reserve, while conservation work protects upland habitat and the loch supports vendace, one of Britain's rarest freshwater fish. That makes the waterfall a doorway into something much larger: outdoor recreation, farming, freshwater ecology and conservation sharing the same upland system.
Look first at where the water comes from rather than only where it falls. The sudden drop hints at a much broader upland landscape sitting beyond the visible waterfall. The vegetation, grazing ground and water all change with height. Grey Mare's Tail becomes more interesting when the cascade is understood as one part of that larger system.
What strikes me about Grey Mare's Tail is how quickly the road disappears from the experience. You can stop and appreciate the waterfall, but there is a much bigger landscape sitting above and around it. Once you move farther into that country, it opens out quickly and becomes proper hill ground.
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