Field Notes - The Great Atlantic Salmon Migration

The best experience is not to spend ten minutes there, but to bring refreshments and linger for around an hour or so in the afternoon (for some reason I have never been able to fathom, you don’t see many salmon leaping up the falls in the morning!). As it does take time (unless lucky) to see the salmon and trout. If one is in luck, you may also see an otter or two hunting in the pool below the roaring falls.

Set amid cliffs and mostly deciduous natural forest, the Falls of Shin is a beautiful spot in it’s own right. The magnificent leaps of the Atlantic salmon and Brown Trout and the often comic failures are spectacular. How such fish muster the strength and power to leap up the falls against the raging torrent of brown-tinted water is a wonder to behold.

Seeing the salmon leap majestically up the Falls of Shin and then swim upstream against a powerful current literally takes one’s breath away.

The actual time it takes these fish to leap up the falls is very brief, around one second, so observers need to keep their eyes fixed to catch the leaps. The falls here are narrow, so it is just a matter of patience. Every now and again, a very large salmon - some around 4 feet long - can be seen doing a spectacular leap. Even wee salmon and trout will try to sneak up the bank nearest the observation platform.

Late June onwards is usually when the salmon and trout begin their spectacular and epic journey up the River Shin and this lasts well into August. It is certainly worth the 40 odd mile detour from the A9 at Tain or Dornoch (the road for Bonar Bridge and Lairg) if time allows, as it one of the best places in Scotland to see this magical treat of nature.

PLEASE NOTE That the new management of the Shin Falls Visitor Centre have now imposed parking charges (it used to be free) at £2 for the first hour and £1 per hour thereafter with no exemptions. On the upside, there is a special area for camper vans

An Atlantic salmon leaps up the Falls of Shin - Photo: Jonathan Mitchell/Atlas Photo Archive

One of the easiest and most rewarding wildlife experiences in Scotland is witnessing the sheer magic of the annual Atlantic salmon migration as they navigate their way back up to the spawning grounds upriver, often leaping up dramatic waterfalls in the process.

A great place to see this is the Falls of Shin, on the River Shin near Invershin - where there is a great viewing platform, parking (even for coaches), electric vehicle recharge points, a picnic area and a visitor centre with a great cafe/bar/retsaurant in the Scottish Highlands of Sutherland. There is also a network of forest paths nearby. The viewing platform is opposite the car park on the side where the visitor centre is located, down a windy, slightly steep path (if you are in a wheelchair, there are broad steps, so access is possible with assistance).

An essential for visiting Shin Falls is anti-midge protection, as while midges are not that common in this part of Scotland, they sure love the viewing platform at Shin Falls.

The beautiful surroundings at the Falls of Shin in Sutherland in the north of Scotland - Photo: Jonathan Mitchell/Atlas Photo Archive