Loch Lee and Waterfalls Circuit, Glen Esk

Saturday 29th November 2025

The Walk Highlands description of this walk is "This superb circular walk takes in Loch Lee before climbing steeply past the Falls of Unich and the Falls of Damff to cross open moorland, before descending the track on the Shank of Inchgrundle with panoramic views over the loch".   This is spot on and we were lucky to have good weather with excellent visibility.

Morning Break in the Sunshine

There were nine of us on the walk - Gary, Hannah, Bob, Jane, Steve, Ruth, Bill, Alistair, and Ken.  The first 5 km of the walk are fairly flat and easy going  on a track with good views over Loch Lee.  We stopped for a drink in the sunshine before crossing the bridge over the Water of Lee into the shade in Glen Unich.

Crossing the Water of Lee

The small path then climbs steadily up the valley with good views of the Falls of Unich, the gorge above, and the Falls of Damff. 

Falls of Unich

The scenery then changed to open moorland and another small path was followed up to the col between Craig Maskeldie and Cairn Lick.  There was a cold breeze up there so we dropped over the edge to find a sheltered spot for lunch. 

Above the Unich Gorge

Lunch overlooking Loch Lee

There were great views down to Loch Lee and beyond from there.  We then joined the track that descends steeply down the Shank of Inchgrundle back to Loch Lee and back to the carpark.  The route was 17km with 500m of ascent.

We rounded the day off with tea and cake in the Glen Esk visitor centre.

Bob Elder