Set in Scotland’s Great Glen (a gash in the land which cuts across the country from Inverness to Fort William) Loch Ness is probably the most famous of the Highland lochs, its only possible competitor being Loch Lomond. Over time it has seen many struggles but today is a much more tranquil destination for visitors.
Loch Ness: the Facts
Occupying the Great Glen between the villages of Dores and Fort Augustus, Loch Ness is the longest loch in the series which occupy the Great Glen. It’s big. According to the Loch Ness Information website It might not be the biggest in Scotland by surface area (that honour belongs to Loch Lomond) nor the longest (Loch Awe) nor the deepest (Loch Morar); nevertheless, its dimensions are impressive:
- it is 23 miles long and up to a mile wide
- it is around 750 feet deep
- it reputedly contains more water than the combined volume of all the other lakes in England and Wales.
The loch was formed by the huge thickness of ice which overlay the Scottish Highlands millions of years ago, gouging out a long, narrow cleft. When the ice retreated and melted some 10,000 years ago the cleft filled with water. At present the level of the water is some 51 feet above sea level – higher than when it was formed, as the level rose with the construction of the Caledonian Canal.
Looking at Loch Ness
The area round Loch Ness has been settled since prehistoric times, but until relatively recently access was difficult - the main road along the north shore wasn’t constructed until the 1930s. From here there are views southwards to the Monadhliath Mountains. The route along the south side of the loch offers fewer viewpoints but looks north where a sprinkling of snow can persist on the peaks well into the summer.
The best – and most authentic – views are from the water itself, or from its edge. Before the building of the main road the loch was the main transport route. Boat trips and boat hire open up the views from the surface; or the visitor can walk to the shore at the bottom of the loch in Fort Augustus and drink in the views along the water’s length.
Urquhart Castle
Perhaps the best views of all are obtained from Urquhart Castle. Situated just outside the village of Drumnadrochit on the northern shore (a site reportedly visited by St Columba) the picturesque ruin stands on a bluff above the water where it still seems to command the whole of the loch. Indeed, it was built for this very purpose, controlling the comings and goings along what was then the easiest route across Scotland.
At around 500 years old, the castle has endured a violent history. It was captured by the English during the Scottish Wars of Independence, changing hands (often in bloody fashion) several times during the struggle. Subsequently it was attacked and defended by a succession of families as the Scottish clans raided for territory and goods, only to be abandoned and blown up in the late sixteenth century, to prevent it being used for military purposes.
Fort Augustus
Though small (the UK Census in 2001 indicated a population of only around 500) Fort Augustus is a thriving hub of shops, cafes and visitor centres. It is made so by its location: any visitor taking in the length of the Great Glen can’t avoid it, as both north and south lochside roads pass through it, as does much of the loch's marine traffic.
Despite its size, Fort Augustus is probably the most significant of the lochside villages. Located where the Caledonian Canal enters the loch it is dominated by two features. From the water, the traveller first sees the tower of Fort Augustus Abbey, until recently a Benedictine foundation and now an upmarket holiday destination. From the village it’s impossible to miss the canal’s locks.
This well-known flight of locks descends from the canal to the loch in a dramatic sequence. It’s usually possible to see at least one of them opening to allow boats up or down. The bridge at the bottom of the flight, over which all traffic must pass, is a swing bridge, regularly creaking slowly aside to allow waterborne traffic through and generating a small and short-lived traffic jam.
Loch Ness is much more than just a body of water; and its story is much more than that of a monster. Villages, walks and dramatic scenery are all characteristic of this dramatic feature. For over a thousand years it has attracted and intrigued visitors from St Columba onwards – and will surely go on to attract many, many thousands more.
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