Loch Ness:
23 miles long, 1 mile wide, up to 786 ft deep
more water than the lakes of England & Wales combined.

Accommodation by Loch Ness

Situated on the quieter south side of Loch Ness, Foyers Lodge looks down to Foyers bay and across the legendary Loch towards the mountains opposite. Foyers is a walkers dream.  It has a superb waymarked local path network which leads through woodland, over lower hilltops and along the lochside.  Just a short walk from the house are the “falls of Foyers” a 100ft high waterfall, which Robert Burns himself paid tribute to.

Within walking distance there are a couple of restaurants, a pub, a local store and café.

www.hotel-loch-ness.co.uk (Craigdarroch Hotel & bar)
www.foyersbay.co.uk

There is a lovely pub, serving excellent food at Dores, next to the only beach on the Loch.

On the most southern tip of Loch Ness and some 14 miles away, Fort Augustus is situated on the Great Glen Way and the Caledonian Canal and is half way between the Capital of the Highand’s Inverness and Fort William.

Running through the village is the River Oich and the impressive 60 mile long Caledonian Canal and lock system, built by Thomas Telford in the early 1800s. The Caledonian Canal stretches from Fort William to Inverness, is linked by a series of natural lochs and has a flight of 5 locks from the top of the canal in Fort Augustus down onto Loch Ness.

Fort Augustus offers stunning views down Loch Ness, with many beautiful walks and an excellent golf course, or if you prefer, idle your time away watching the boats negotiate up and down the locks. The Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre is a British Waterways Museum about the history of the canal and the village. The village hall holds the local ceilidh [traditional Scottish dancing and music] every week during the summer months.

There’s plenty to see and do in and around Inverness - just leave yourself enough time.  Browse city shops, old and new, from the Victorian Market to the new award-winning shopping complex, Eastgate II.  Take a stroll to Inverness castle, currently used as a courthouse, and St Andrew’s Cathedral which dominate the River Ness and what has been described as one of the most beautiful riverside settings in Britain.  Enjoy the fine circular walk from the castle along the river and through the Ness Islands where, in the peak season from July to October, you can watch anglers casting long lines to leaping Atlantic salmon.  Buy a daily ticket and try it for yourself.  The Eden Court Theatre provides a variety of performances and there is a cinema and swimming pool for wet days. Above the city lies Craif Phadrig, once the stronghold of Pictish Kings, which offers interesting forest walks.  From here you can enjoy magnificent views of the Moray Firth, home to a diverse range of wildlife including bottlenose dolphins which can be seem from the shore or on trips available from harbours along the coast.

The sightings of the monster over the years are at the core of the Loch Ness 2000 Exhibition Centre at Drumnadrochit which is on the north side of the loch. In addition, the complex here has wide-ranging quality souvenir shopping, including kilts and whisky.  The north side also has a number of other attractions and these include the interesting 3-acre garden at Abriachan, while just below Drumnadrochit is Urquhart Castle with its visitor centre telling the story of this important Great Glen fortress.