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Loch Ness Accommodation

The Original Loch Ness Visitor Centre complete with Nessie!

Castle Urquhart on the shores of Loch Ness

The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre at the Drumnadrochit Hotel

A sighting of Nessie - more Nessies than you can shake a stick at!

The Great Glen Way passes through Drumnadrochit

Drumnadrochit's picturesque village green

The Tourist Information Centre is handily placed in the village car park

Pleasant pavement watering holes in Drumnadrochit

Drumnadrochit Loch Ness Monster Legend Exhibitions Highlands Scotland

Drumnadrochit lies at the centre of the Great Glen alongside Loch Ness. It is a pretty village at the head of Urquhart Bay, site of some of the famous sightings of Nessie, The Loch Ness Monster. Due to this, the Nessie related attractions and Urquhart Bay just outside the village Drumnadrochit gets very busy with visitors during the peak season. This does mean that there are plenty of places to eat and drink and it makes a useful stop off as you tour through the Great Glen.

Drumnadrochit is also an excellent base for outdoor activities including walking The Great Glen Way, Munro-bagging in Glen Affric or watersports on Loch Ness.

Drumnadrochit Loch Ness Tourist Guide

Drumnadrochit has become the focal point for Loch Ness and the Nessie myth and is situated about halfway along Loch Ness itself.

It's a small, pretty village set around a village green. There is a large Tourist Information Office in the main car park in the centre of town which is open all year round. The Car Park, Inverness-shire, Drumnadrochit, Highlands and Islands IV63 6T. Tel: 01456 459086.

There are several cafes all along the main drag through the town, a post office, cash point and art gallery.

Of course, this is the place for Loch Ness and Nessie related gifts. Other than the gift shops within the exhibition complexes, you'll find the Loch Ness Gift Shop between the two for more Scottish related gifts and souvenirs. Weblink right. Highland Gift Shop/ LochnessGiftShop.com, Victoria Buildings, Main Street, Drumnadrochit IV63 6TU. Tel: 01456 450838. Fax: 01456 450838. Email: sales@lochnessgiftshop.com

Castle Urquhart Urquhart Bay Loch Ness Sightings

Just outside the town south at Urquhart Bay is Castle Urquhart. It is one of Scotland's largest castles on the banks of Loch Ness where it has occupied a defensive position for over 500 years. It is believed that a Pictish fort or settlement once occupied the site and that the present castle was built in the 13th century.

It is also the place that most sightings of the Loch Ness Monster have been reported.

Historic Scotland now has a modern visitor centre that incorporates a shop, cafe, audio-visual displays and model showing what Castle Urquhart would have looked like when it was more intact. This does mean that you can't get access to the castle without going through the visitor centre and paying the entrance fee, but you can get a good view from the car park.

History of Loch Ness Monster Nessie - The Original Loch Ness Exhibition

Loch Ness is as everyone knows famous for its fleeting sightings of the monster within, Nessie. It is also the second largest Scottish loch but is by far the deepest - deeper that the height of London's BT Tower. The loch is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty surrounded by moorland mountains and wooded shores.

Since the 1960s increasingly more sophisticated scientific methods have been used to try and prove or dispel the myth and turn up evidence of the Loch Ness Monster.

There are now two competing exhibitions about Loch Ness and its monster both of which are in Drumnadrochit. The Original Loch Ness Monster Visitor Centre presents the evidence that exists to date of Nessie through legend, photographs and film of sightings. The Original Loch Ness Visitor Centre, Drumnadrochit, Inverness IV63 6TU. Tel: 01456 450342. Fax: 01456 450429. Email: info@lochness-centre.com. There is a coffee shop, gift shop and a big plastic Nessie for the kids to play on.

Behind the Loch Ness Visitor Centre is The Braveheart Centre. This highlights some of the significant battles of Scotland such as the War of Independence in which Robert the Bruce beat the English forces at Bannockburn in 1314. It also tells the story of William Wallace and his resistance to the English. Check their website for more information.

Evidence of Loch Ness Monster - The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre

The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, also called Loch Ness 2000, is the five star rated tourist attraction in the downstairs of what was the Drumnadrochit Hotel; the hotel is now housed in the modern buildings on the same site This is the more recent of the two exhibitions.

It takes a more investigative look at the myth of the Loch Ness Monster as it presents the evidence through audio visual presentations in seven rooms.

There's a lot of detail in the films and it might not be so good for younger visitors, although there is a downloadable work pack available for children from their website which could help get the most out of the exhibitions. It's a thought provoking exhibition and it's interesting to see how some of the most familiar images we have of the Loch Ness Monster have been disproved or appear unlikely. Seeing as the Loch Ness Project has been based in the same hotel for 20 years it's perhaps not surprising that this is the more scientific of the two exhibitions.

The rest of the hotel complex is choc full of Nessie and Scottish themed gifts in the various shops. There's also a cafe on site. Check the website, link right, for lots of information on the complex and as well as a link to the Loch Ness webcam. The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness, Inverness-shire IV63 6TU. Tel: 01456 450 573. Fax: 01456 450 770. Email: info@lochness.com.

Loch Ness Boat Trips

Another great way to see Loch Ness and the surrounding countryside is by taking a boat trip or cruise on the loch. Several companies offer trips including the following:

Jacobite Cruises offer a range of cruises all year round from Inverness to Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal taking in Urquhart Castle as well as coach tours to Culloden Battlefield near Inverness. Check their website, link right, for full details of their range of cruises and charters. Telephone: 01463 233999. Email: info@jacobite.co.uk.

Loch Ness Express run a daily scheduled service down the entire length of Loch Ness up to Inverness from a base in Fort Augustus. They offer a hop-on, hop-off facility where you can stop off at Foyers, Inverfarigaig and Urquhart Castle. Departures: May, June, September and October 10.15am plus in July and August 9.45am and 3.45pm. Check their website for more information. Tel: 0800 328 6426. Email: info@lochnessexpress.com.

You can also hire boats to cruise Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal from Caley Cruisers. Caley Cruisers Ltd, Boating Holidays, Canal Road, Inverness IV3 8NF. Tel: 01463 236328. Fax: 01463 714879. Email: info@caleycruisers.com.

The Great Glen Way and Outdoor Activities

Off to the west of Drumnadrochit through the wooded Glen Urquhart is the remote Glen Affric one of the most beautiful areas in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. There are few roads here but it's well worth a visit. You'll be surrounded by mountains on all sides clothed in one of the largest surviving native Caledonian pinewoods in the UK. Lochs and rivers fill the hollows between. This is excellent Munro-bagging country and a mecca for serious hikers, although the valleys offer some lovely picnic areas. Pony-trekking and mountain biking are also popular. Check the links right for more information on the Glen Affric area.

The Great Glen Way is a long distance walking route that stretches 73 miles from Fort William to Inverness. The whole route can be walked in 5-6 days and there is plenty of accommodation along the way in the towns and villages that span the Great Glen. Most of the route is low-level and takes in towpaths and woodland walks, but you can always divert off it to take in some more challenging mountain hikes. You can also cycle the route or take off on one of the purpose-built mountains bike or cycling tracks.

Macguiding is based between Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit and offer half, full or multi days activities in sea kayaks, canoes, biking or on foot. They can also arrange bike hire. Macguiding, The Old Smithy, Invermoriston, Loch Ness, IV63 7YA. Tel: 01320 351315. Mobile: 07761 346254. Email: mike@macguiding.co.uk

Near Drumnadrochit is Glen Urquhart a mix of plantation and native woodland. There are several waymarked walks and forest tracks suitable for cycling and horse-riding. Nearby is Balnain Bike Park with purpose built challenging routes and a skills development area. Check the weblink for more information and our Fort William Outdoor Activities page, link right.

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