Falls of Shin
Falls of Shin
4
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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- Gill R52 contributionsScenic walk and lovely coffeeThe 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 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten May 15, 2024
- nickswlonTeddington, United Kingdom477 contributionsReally well designed facilities. Lovely FallsThe 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 2024Traveled soloWritten May 21, 2024
- Carly D2 contributionsGorgeous little shop with jumping salmon!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 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 15, 2024
- JoyStockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom5 contributionsLovely Day, Lovely Food, Lovely StaffFantastic 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 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten July 12, 2024
- minimad333Stansted Mountfitchet, United Kingdom109 contributionsNice stop off but luck or persistence needed to see any fish jumping.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 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 25, 2024
- Polarexplorer2006London, United Kingdom34 contributionsGood place to see the leaping salmonGood place to look at the leaping salmon. Forest walks are good for the whole family and there is a coffee shop and place to park. The play park is great for smaller kids and for having picnics.Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 29, 2024
- TravellingHappilyBrighton, United Kingdom404 contributionsUnhelpful car park notices; pay in the cafe!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 2024Traveled with friendsWritten September 15, 2024
- R K3 contributionsVisitor CentreThe 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 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten September 20, 2024
- Peter E732 contributionsLovely spotGreat 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 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten September 30, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
668 reviews
Excellent
260
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215
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39
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54
Mad-on-Maldives
East Yorkshire446 contributions
Jul 2021
Great set up here.
Big car park no charge, very clean toilets facilities open, catering unit Crofters kitchen next to (visitor centre closed at mo) selling drinks and a fab cake selection, well done girls!!
Information boards up telling of the salmon’s journey.
Easy short downhill walk from car park to viewing platform, the falls are stunning but the salmon leaping was a sight to see, it was really fascinating to watch.
Further forest walks from other side of car park. An excellent children’s play area.
You could easily spend a whole day here, kids, picnics, dogs, what a beautiful place with beautiful scenery, and all for free.
Big car park no charge, very clean toilets facilities open, catering unit Crofters kitchen next to (visitor centre closed at mo) selling drinks and a fab cake selection, well done girls!!
Information boards up telling of the salmon’s journey.
Easy short downhill walk from car park to viewing platform, the falls are stunning but the salmon leaping was a sight to see, it was really fascinating to watch.
Further forest walks from other side of car park. An excellent children’s play area.
You could easily spend a whole day here, kids, picnics, dogs, what a beautiful place with beautiful scenery, and all for free.
Written July 16, 2021
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
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.
Claire J
15 contributions
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.
Paulwy1955
Sandy, UK318 contributions
Jun 2021
Factored this in when doing the NC500 recently.
After spending 3 days in Brora, stopped off here en rte to Edinburgh & enjoyed a bacon roll & coffee from the little pop up food outlet called Crofters Kitchen.
Oh, + excellent cakes that we took away for later....
It appears to be a semi permanent set up replacing the restaurant that is still closed.
The car park has plenty of space, even electric charging points, access to woodland walks, picnic spots & play area.
After spending 3 days in Brora, stopped off here en rte to Edinburgh & enjoyed a bacon roll & coffee from the little pop up food outlet called Crofters Kitchen.
Oh, + excellent cakes that we took away for later....
It appears to be a semi permanent set up replacing the restaurant that is still closed.
The car park has plenty of space, even electric charging points, access to woodland walks, picnic spots & play area.
Written July 2, 2021
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.
Freda M
1 contribution
Jul 2021
It is so disappointing that you don't have pictures of the first ever wedding to take place at the Falls of shin restaurant back in 2004.
24 April 2004 to be exact. the first ever wedding to take place at the Falls of shin restaurant over looking the river, a small gathering of about 12 people including the bride and groom.
the omission of this event is such a eaves such a gap in the history of the restaurant.
Very disappointed Considering the groom was born and raised in Achany Lairg.
24 April 2004 to be exact. the first ever wedding to take place at the Falls of shin restaurant over looking the river, a small gathering of about 12 people including the bride and groom.
the omission of this event is such a eaves such a gap in the history of the restaurant.
Very disappointed Considering the groom was born and raised in Achany Lairg.
Written July 8, 2021
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, UK355 contributions
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.
Clive W
6 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
Visited 19th May to find the restaurant and visitor centre closed, no notice to say why or when it would reopen. The whole place was empty other than tables and chairs. Such a shame as we enjoyed lunch here last September. Very disappointed.
Written May 19, 2021
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.
kate
9 contributions
Sep 2021 • Friends
Easy to get to from the visitor centre. Also three short forest walks. Despite the website saying they were open the visitor centre was long since closed for the season. Which was a shame. Saw salmon trying their best to hop upstream though
Written September 19, 2021
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
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.
Joy
Stockton-on-Tees, UK5 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
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!
Written July 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.
1959tapdancer
Norman, Oklahoma
I have been unsuccessful getting an email to the folks at the Falls of Shin. I understand there is a steep path to see the Falls? Can someone describe for me how far the actual falls and viewing area of the salmon are, with respect to the visitor center? If we’re just coming to the see the falls and the salmon, and not take time for the cafe and the gift shop, is an hour enough time? Your thoughts?
Written August 26, 2019
There is not much more I can add that others have already said. I would point out that walking down to the viewing platform is not suitable for disabled people or people with walking difficulties. Also the cafe seems to only serve vegetarian type food.
Written August 26, 2019
Yes, dogs are allowed. My two loved the fab walks in the area.
Written April 5, 2019
Hi, CAROLE. What would you like to know about this attraction?
Is the Falls of Shin Restaurant and Visitor Centre now open again, following its closure at Easter 2018.
Written June 19, 2018
AS far as I know they are open.
Check on their website
Written June 19, 2018
When will the cafe reopen? We are thinking of bringing a bus of approx 30 aged people for a meal and look around the attraction in June. Are you able to handle this number?
Written April 1, 2018
I'm just a visitor here and reviewed the Visitor Centre, you would have to contact them directly.
Written April 9, 2018
When will the cafe reopen? We are thinking of bringing a bus of approx 30 aged people for a meal and look around the attraction in June. Are you able to handle this number?
Thank you
Written April 1, 2018
You would have to contact the Visitor Centre direct. I was just a tourist who reviewed the Centre.
Written April 9, 2018
Hi when is the best time to see leaping salmon at the falls?
Written June 11, 2017
Really throughout late Spring and all of Summer and even early Autumn. There's a viewing platform over the falls and its quite exiting watching them fight to get up the falls and reach the spawning grounds. Great place for a bite to eat and great coffee as well.
Written June 12, 2017
Hi William - were there any salmon jumping yesterday when you were at Falls of shin? If so, we are hoping to head up there tomorrow!
Written May 12, 2017
You have to wait a while then you'll get a few making the run
Written January 1, 2018
Hi - just wondering on what date in 2017 the newly built facility will be open to the public? The newspapers mention 'in the spring', so was just wondering if for instance it would be open for Easter.
Written January 22, 2017
Experience_Officer
Bonar Bridge, United Kingdom
Hello Carole C, you are correct all PR has noted Spring 2017 to date, we are hoping to announce the opening date by the end of February. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to welcoming you to the revived site.
Written January 23, 2017
I promise I'm not taking the "P" :) We went to Lairg soley to visit the falls - we must have blinked and missed it! What's the sat nav / post code reference please? Thank you!
Written July 6, 2016
Experience_Officer
Bonar Bridge, United Kingdom
Hello Mike G, sorry just picking this up now, did you find Falls of Shin?
Roger thank you for noting the Project name in it's entirety, great to read that people are aware of the Project.
Indeed Angus I have heard this and can you believe I have not yet been, my colleague was at the weekend though and had a lovely day, albeit wet.
Regards, Valerie
Written July 13, 2016
Have any toilet facilities been erected at Shin Falls?
Written June 4, 2016
Experience_Officer
Bonar Bridge, United Kingdom
Hello, as Angus kindly answered there is no toilet facilities at the moment. Local facilities at Lairg and Bonar Bridge are the closest. The next Stage of the Falls of Shin Community Project commenced today so please keep up to date via Facebook and we shall endeavour to update here also.
Kind Regards
Valerie
Written June 20, 2016
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