Take a Monster Loch Ness Drive
Tour the Great Glen and Hunt for Nessie on a Circular Scottish Drive
From Inverness take the scenic Loch Ness Trail on a monster Loch Ness drive to visit Fort Augustus and Urquhart Castle, and watch for Nessie in Scotland's Great Glen
Loch Ness is by far the best-known of the Scottish lochs, thanks to the worldwide fame of the Loch Ness Monster. Is that Nessie swimming in the photograph below? No, actually, it's a black labrador that wanted a dip in the water. But whether you believe in the Loch Ness Monster or not, this circular tour around Loch Ness is a beautifully scenic Scottish drive.
The Loch Ness drive starts and ends in Inverness, the largest city in northern Scotland and regarded as the capital of the Scottish Highlands. Loch Ness runs southwest from Inverness and runs for 23 miles (37km) through part of the Great Glen. The loch is over 750ft (228.5m) deep in places, and there's little wonder that people think the Loch Ness Monster might live in its murky depths.
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Facts about the Monster Loch Ness Drive in Scotland
- The total distance of this Loch Ness drive is about 70 miles (112km)
- An optional detour along the way (see below) will add 24 miles (39km) to the distance
- The main Loch Ness drive will take about 3 hours, allowing for traffic and not counting stops on the way. The optional detour would add 40 minutes to the drive time.
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Route for the Monster Loch Ness Drive in Scotland
From Inverness take the B862 road, clearly marked as being the Loch Ness Trail. After 9 miles (14.5km) you reach Dores where the road forks. Take the right-hand fork which becomes the B852, still marked as being the Loch Ness Trail.
The road now enters the Farigaig Forest, a beautiful area though some visitors are surprised that you don't just follow the shores of Loch Ness for the whole way round. Here there are different views to enjoy. Look for the Visitor Centre with informative displays about the area and some walking trails.
A few miles further on from here at Foyers is another walking trail which you can take to see the Falls of Foyers. After this the road rejoins the B862 and there are some lovely views of the Scottish mountains as you drive to Fort Augustus.
At Fort Augustus you take the A82 to drive back along the other side of the loch, the western (northern) side of Loch Ness. This is back to being a fairly busy road but it does have lovely views of Loch Ness, and a compulsory photo stop which everyone makes to take pictures of the very scenic 12th-century ruins of Urquhart Castle.
Just beyond Urquhart Castle be ready to stop at Drumnadrochit if you are at all interested in the Loch Ness Monster. Here there are displays about the various 'sightings', the photographs and videos taken of... well, of something unexplained in Loch Ness.
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Optional Detour on the Monster Loch Ness Drive in Scotland
From Drumnadrochit there is a choice of routes back to Inverness. Keep on the main road and it is a quick and straight drive of 14 miles (22.5km) into Inverness. The optional detour is a much more picturesque way to return to Inverness, though. Head west on the A831 and after about 1 mile (1.6km) take the A833 on the right, which leads through forest and over moorland. When you reach Beauly take the A862 on the right back to Inverness
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For details of a drive on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, click here.
For a Highlands of Scotland drive, click here.
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