Falls of Foyers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Falls of Foyers |
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Falls of Foyers
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 Location in Scotland
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| Location | Loch Ness, Highland, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57°14′55″N 4°29′34″W / 57.24862°N 4.49269°W |
| Total height | 62 m |
The Falls of Foyers are a beautiful waterfall in the Highland region of Scotland, United Kingdom. They are found on the River Foyers, which flows into the famous Loch Ness. In Scottish Gaelic, the falls are called Eas na Smùide, which means "the smoking falls" because of the mist they create!
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Discover the Falls of Foyers
What are the Falls of Foyers?
The Falls of Foyers are a stunning cascade of water. They drop about 62 meters (or 165 feet) down into the river below. You can find them on the lower part of the River Foyers. This river then flows into Loch Ness on its eastern side, a bit northeast of Fort Augustus.
A Powerful Past
For a long time, the Falls of Foyers were known for their powerful flow. However, things changed in 1895. The North British Aluminium Company built a factory nearby. This factory, called a smelting plant, made aluminium. It used electricity from the river to power its operations.
Because of this, the amount of water flowing over the falls became much less. An artist named Mary Rose Hill Burton was very sad about this change. She drew and painted many pictures of the falls before the factory was built. She wanted to capture their natural beauty before it was lost.
The Falls of Foyers also inspired a scientist named Robert Addams. In 1834, he wrote an important paper about something called the motion aftereffect. This is when you look at something moving for a while, then look away, and the world seems to move in the opposite direction!
Modern Power Station
The aluminium factory eventually closed down in 1967. But the site didn't stay empty for long. In 1975, it became part of the Foyers Pumped Storage Power Station.
This power station uses a clever system to make electricity. It's a type of pumped-storage hydroelectricity system. It uses Loch Mhòr as a high-up water storage area. When electricity is needed, water flows from Loch Mhòr down to the power station. When there's extra electricity, water is pumped back up to Loch Mhòr to be used later.
