Assaranca Waterfall

Assaranca, sometimes written Eas a' Ranca, drops in a series of steps beside the road running west from Ardara into the Maghera valley. It is not large - perhaps ten metres in total - but it is directly at the roadside, so the walk to it is a matter of steps from the car, and after heavy rain it runs hard enough to throw spray across the tarmac. The valley here was cut by ice and the fall comes off the steep side above the Owenea catchment. It functions mainly as a stop on the way to Maghera beach and its sea caves, a couple of kilometres further on, and most people spend ten or fifteen minutes. In dry weather it reduces considerably. The road is narrow, parking is a few informal spaces on the verge, and the rocks around the pool are wet and slippery in all conditions.

What you actually see

• The fall - about ten metres in steps, directly beside the road.
• The valley - glacial, steep-sided, on the way to Maghera.
• The accessibility - no walk at all, which is unusual for a waterfall.
• The flow - heavy after rain, much reduced in dry spells.

When to go

After rain, when it is at its best. Dry summers reduce it to a trickle. It takes fifteen minutes; combine it with Maghera beach further along the road.

Honest expectations

Small, and a very short stop. Parking is a few verge spaces on a narrow road. Rocks around the pool are slippery. In dry weather it is underwhelming.

Nearby

Maghera beach and caves are a couple of kilometres west; Ardara is east.