Falls of Shin

Falls of Shin

Falls of Shin
3.9
About
The Falls of Shin are famous for being one of the best places in Scotland to view salmon in their natural habitat. The former Falls of Shin centre, nicknamed “Harrods of the North” was destroyed by fire in May 2013. This left a huge hole in the local economy and as a leading employer a vast number of jobs were lost overnight. Following this, local charity - Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust, raised project funding to rebuild the popular attraction. The Trust worked with the community, stakeholders, funders and the design team (CH Architecture) to develop the project. Falls of Shin was officially reopened in May 2017 with a day of celebrations for the local community. Since then we have welcomed visitors from around the world and recreated employment opportunities at the visitor centre. The site has a restaurant and gift shop (run by a private operator), playpark, mini golf, forest trails, and a viewing platform where people can watch the salmon leaping.
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3 within 6 miles

See what travelers are saying

  • R K
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The first thing to comment on is that the Visitor Centre and the car park are 2 different businesses run by 2 different entities. It's a pity that some reviews seem to 'blame' the Visitor Centre for their parking charges. When we went in for lunch we were immediately told about the registration system that would nullify the car park charge. Apart from enjoying the lovely scenery, we had lunch at the centre. The food was perfect for us. However, the lady that welcomed us and attended to us during our visit made our visit even more wonderful. Her attentiveness was very personal and made us feel very, very welcome. Thank you for a special experience!
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 20, 2024
  • Joy
    Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic day! The falls were beautiful and the short walks in the surrounding areas are well signposted. Parking was easily paid for in the restaurant and can be refunded if you eat there. Food was delicious and staff were lovely, especially the young girl, sorry we forgot to get your name!
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 12, 2024
  • TravellingHappily
    Brighton, United Kingdom417 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    The car park is covered with vaguely threatening signs saying you must phone or use the app to register your vehicle within 10 minutes of arrival or all sorts of nasty outcomes would follow, but that is easier said than done; I had no signal and no app, and many other patrons appeared similarly perplexed. Then someone said you can register and pay in the coffee shop; why don't the signs say that instead??! The coffee shop looks lovely, and we paid our £2 per vehicle easily (refundable on your first order), but by then I wasn't in a particularly sociable mood! The walk down to the falls is moderately steep but short. There is a viewing platform above the small falls with pool below; we saw no leaping in the 15 mins we stayed.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 15, 2024
  • lauracar1982
    St. Andrews, United Kingdom1 contribution
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stopped off in this lovely area for some lunch during our NC500 trip. The falls were beautiful but we never seen any salmon! The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the young girl serving us was so helpful, especially with the parking which was actually really simple. The menu was fairly small but the food was delicious and so well presented. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon here but there was one drawback. Unfortunately we witnessed a man, who we assume is the owner, speaking rather rudely to two of the waitresses. I found this rather uncomfortable to watch and it impacted on our day. Hopefully this does not happen often as it is not a good look on their business! Also, slightly disappointed that the shop is not open as friends of ours visited here a few months back and they were told that it would be opening in the upcoming weeks so we assumed we would be able to get some souvenirs to remember our trip!
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 16, 2024
  • minimad333
    Stansted Mountfitchet, United Kingdom109 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    This is a nice place to visit on the way to somewhere else but not somewhere I would go on its own. The falls are small and underwhelming. You will need to be very lucky to see any Salmon jumping as historic over fishing has severely reduced their numbers. You need to pay to park but it can be free if you purchase food or drink from the coffee shop. Just remember to give them your vehicle registration at the till. The signs in the parking area don’t make this clear enough. The toilets here were really well maintained and clean. There is no disabled acess down to the falls so for able bodied visitors only.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 25, 2024
  • nickswlon
    Teddington, United Kingdom481 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The sun was out and the falls were storming away but sadly no salmon were leaping. Never mind, I really enjoyed my visit and they have designed the cafe and rest area really well to fit in with the surroundings. Peaceful.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written May 21, 2024
  • Carly D
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely stop! We saw approx 5 salmons jumping in the space of about 45 mins. Very short 5 mins (walk to the falls from the carpark. (windy/slightly uneven for people with accessibility considerations.) Gorgeous coffee shop with indoor and outdoor seating. Very good friendly service. Perfect for an hour or so or even a picnic!
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written June 15, 2024
  • Peter E
    729 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great that the visitor centre is back up and running. Car parking payment a pain, but go into the restaurant for easy cheaper payments. Delicious food, and lovely walks through the woods. Falls amazing, but no salmon for us!
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 30, 2024
  • Rob M
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely spot we stopped in on our travels around the Higlands. Was a bit worried about the parking as we went early evening - but there's great big contactless card machine in the car park. Play park area is okay, viewing platform really peaceful and relaxing. We had a little picnic and went on our travels. We hope to come back to see some of the Salmon
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written October 25, 2024
  • Gill R
    64 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The falls are just lovely to watch unfortunately did not see any salmon. Had a nice walk in the woods followed by a lovely cup of coffee at the cafe which is run by a lovely couple who are very friendly. They have recently taken the cafe over and would like to wish them every success in there new venture.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 15, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

3.9
3.9 of 5 bubbles669 reviews
Excellent
260
Very good
215
Average
100
Poor
39
Terrible
55

Claire J
15 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Family
We stopped off to see the falls late in the afternoon after everything was closed. We spent ages trying to download the parking app and realised we had to continue with our attempt as had spent longer than 10 mins already trying to download. We finally managed it but took several attempts to enter and save our details due to the poor signal and genuinely thought we'd succeeded with the payment. We didn't want to incur a fine. We then spent 30 mins looking at the falls. Two weeks after our return home we have had a £60 fine and although we appealed it this was declined. We would not recommend people visit based on our experience. We visit many beautiful places in the UK and have never had an experience like this.
Written October 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Caroline H
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
As a family we have been regular visitors to the Falls of Shin for 20 years so imagine our disappointment on arriving to find we now have to pay an extortionate parking fee via a complicated phone service to enjoy a natural beauty spot that should be accessible for everyone. We then discover that even though the community run building was purpose built to allow public access to the toilets this is now deined unless you are a cafe customer. The park is now poorly cared for. The crazy golf has been ripped up. The kiosk was closed and the lovely mosaic at the Falls viewpoint is falling to pieces. This is a place of many happy family memories and it was incredibly disappointing to experience it like this.
Written July 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Duncan & Julie
3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2025 • Family
We visited on 2/1/25 in the very cold spell; when we entered the lane to the Falls the road was snow covered, but with many vehicle tracks showing that the road was not closed or impassable. On arrival, the place was deserted, and covered in snow. There was yellow tape around the Visitor Centre saying "Fire department - do not cross". Everything was closed and locked up. The pathway down to the Falls had not been treated and was clearly unsafe. There were no signs anywhere to indicate that the place was closed.
On returning to the car we saw a high level sign informing that our car reg no had been captured by ANPR and instructing us to "Phone and Pay, payment must be made within 20 mins of arrival....or you will be liable to a parking charge of £100". It was quite clear that the parking charge would apply automatically apply even if the vehicle was just turning round.
For a Heritage Site to indulge in, or permit such extortion is truly appalling. What price Scottish Hospitality?
All they had to do to prevent this was to place a sign at the entrance to the lane to the site that it was closed.
Written January 13, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kiwimaxwell
Auchterarder, UK366 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
This is a fabulous place and we were very impressed. We saw salmon jumping and had a fabulous coffee in the cafe. So why the 1 star review. Well, like others we have fallen foul of the parking charge. PAY IN THE CAFE is what I recommend. We downloaded the app and paid. Signal was very poor and this took some time to do. We showed the receipt in the cafe and got the £2 off our coffees. Now a few weeks later we have received a letter demanding a parking fine of £100 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days of issue). Note the letter has taken 7 days to get to us (mainland UK). I've appealed but based on reviews I've seen here I suspect not much chance.
Written September 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Escape818257
Melton Mowbray, UK1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
I am restricting my review to the carpark. When we visited, the Visitor Centre was closed (5pm) - so no where to physically buy a parking ticket. I spend several minutes trying to find a paystation - nothing. You are then advised to pay with an app - which you have to download (which I didnt want to do) - and when I tried my signal was poor. I gave-up and left - only to be fined £100. You have been warned. My appeal was refused....as I should have used the app (not sure they even read the appeal)
Written September 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fiona M
3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Couples
I have just received a parking fine for my visit
We didn't even see a meter as have been there many times over the years
My sister put disabled badge on the car dash ....we went into the coffee shop and have a photo to prove ...with date and time of the fine !!!????? I have read if you have coffee in the cafe then no charge or ticket can be redeemed we own a residential caravan in Dornoch and recommend a visit here. ....no more
Nobody to phone
Written September 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paul G
3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Family
Dreadful avoid. The parking allows you 10mins to download and pay for parking. It takes longer than 10 mins to download and pay. Consequently you will be charged like us. We entered the car park went immediately to pay. We entered our details including payment- unfortunately it would not work.Both my wife and I both tried to pay by phone and were successful. Unfortunately this took more than the allotted 10mins and consequently we received a £100 penalty charge notice. We paid for 1 hour, from entering to leaving the car park we were there for 1hour 11mins, over 20 mins of the time was paying. Avoid whilst they only allow 10mins to pay as it does not work properly and will take you longer. If you are going it might be worth downloading and setting up the app before hand. Hope this helps.
Written September 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carolyne S
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
Total rip of parking charges. Complicated app download to pay. Designed so that you get a £100 fine, this is the only reaosn the place is open. The cafe closed at 3pm, the walk around the other side was not well signed. At the time we went we didnt see any salmon, which is no ones fault but we would never go back here, its just a racket to rip off tourists.
Written September 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter K
3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Family
Such a shame. Me and my father have visited these falls for over 40 years. We drove here again in late Sept 24 and parked up to have our usual pack up. Realised after a couple of mins that there had been some new parking rules put in place. The sign sated that we only had 10 mins to pay for parking. The great news was that all we had to do was download an app , register the app , verify the app , add vehicle details , add a payment method , and all in an area that had very poor phone signal and all in around 6 mins.(sarcastic) It took us about 40 mins in total , so enjoyable. We eventually managed to pay and had conformation. We paid for an hour and stayed for 51 mins. We received a fine as it was outside of the 10 min window. We appealed the fee due to us providing proof of parking payment and duration of stay. They weren't interested and refused our appeal. Their appeal letter stated visitors are given 20 mins to arrange parking but that's not true , big sign in car park says 10 mins. We are obviously just getting sent through generic response comms with no real cases being looked into. The quantity of poor reviews / experiences on this is a clear indication of a money making scam. Such a poor experience , would give a 0 score if I could. Won't be going back and I would recommend an alternative place to visit for anyone travelling this part of the highlands.
Written November 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Johny P
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Family
You drive to the middle of nowhere only to be confronted with cameras and signs about parking with what will happen if you fail to pay within 10 mins. You grumpily try to pay and the system doesn't work so you have to go to the café to sort it out. By this time you are royally p1$$Ed off. Cafe staff were helpful and it's not their fault but... Problem is, this is such a honeypot destination for a few weeks of the year.
Written September 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Falls of Shin (2025) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Reviews)

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