Visiting Loch Ness: More Than Just A Monster
Visiting Loch Ness is high up on most Scotland travel lists and rightly so! It’s an iconic part of the country, with beautiful views and of course home to our most famous story. The Loch Ness Monster has captured imaginations around the world, so of course it’s one of the biggest draws to the area.
However, anybody planning on visiting Loch Ness, should know that its much more than just a monster. There are plenty of things to do near Scotland’s most famous Loch if you know where to look. Some are right by the water, others require a little bit more travelling. All of them are worth the effort!
The Loch Ness Monster
I can’t not talk about her, so I might as well get it out of the way, many people visiting Loch Ness want to find Nessie! An enormous beast who is said to live somewhere in the depths of Loch Ness. There’s a lot of space to hide since the Loch holds more water than every lake and river in England and Wales combined!
Don’t think this is just a story for tourists, it goes right back to 565AD. The wandering St Columba had been converting the Highland Picts to Christianity when he came across a burial in progress by the banks of the River Ness. He was the victim of a terrifying water beast.
Columba instructed one of his followers to splash around in the water and as predicted, the monster appeared. The saint made the sign of the cross, commanding it to leave and the beast was immediately hauled back by an invisible force.
The Loch Ness Monster really shot to fame in the 1930s. With more people travelling along the lochside, sightings increased along with blurry photographs and videos. Nessie is usually described with a large body, sometimes with humps, long neck and small head. She’s often seen just under the surface causing inexplicable waves or caught on sonar
People have tried to disprove the legend of the Loch Ness Monster for years, but with so many glimpse, surely something is lurking down there. You can try it for yourself with Nessie hunting trips with companies like Cruise Loch Ness.
Explore Urquhart Castle
There are few better viewpoints on Loch Ness than the promontory holding Urquhart Castle – The Guardian of the Great Glen. The loch is part of a long fault line running from Fort William to Inverness, making a convenient route through the rugged Highlands. That’s why King Alexander II decided to build a royal castle here in the 13th century.
Asserting the King of Scots authority in the lawless Highlands wasn’t easy and Urquhart Castle wasn’t to have a peaceful life. It gained a reputation as one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, eventually being held by Clan Grant. Their main job as hereditary keepers wasn’t guarding against foreign enemies, but to keep an eye on the west coast clans.
The MacDonalds in particular enjoyed visiting Loch Ness and raiding the Great Glen, even capturing and lived in Urquhart Castle at one point! Things went badly for the Grants during the Great Raid of 1545. An enormous army led by the MacDonalds stormed the castle and carried off everything possible.
Around 8,000 animals, a couple thousand bags of grain, 12 feather beds, pots, pans, boats and even the doors and iron locks. It was an almighty show of force and disrespect and after the Great Raid, Urquhart was never really the same. By the 18th century, the castle had been destroyed so it couldn’t be used by rebels.
The locals swooped in to carry off any lead or well cut stone for their own homes, leaving the castle much as we see it. It’s still incredibly impressive and rightfully seen as one of the top things to do in Loch Ness. These atmospheric ruins are managed by Historic Scotland and open all year round.
Pay Respects to Roderick Mackenzie
Here’s something you won’t find on many “Things to do in Loch Ness” lists! Turn away from the water at Invermoriston, take a 20 minute drive up Glen Moriston and you’ll find a small cairn for Roderick Mackenzie. He’s a true hero from the 1745 Jacobite Rising and deserves to be visited by people who know his story.
Mackenzie was a young gentleman from Edinburgh who followed the Jacobite army all the way to defeat at Culloden. He even became close friends with Bonnie Prince Charlie and looked so similar, he was employed as his decoy. When the Prince went on the run, Mackenzie stuck with him, hiding out in a cave in Glenmoriston.
However, they could see that the soldiers combing the area were coming right for them. Brave Roderick dressed as Charles and ran off, leading the hunters in the wrong direction. Soon, the decoy was captured and the soldiers were so sure they had their target, he was shot on the spot. His last words were “you have murdered your prince.”
Even the government officials were convinced that Bonnie Prince Charlie was dead. They called off the hunt and by the time they realised their mistake, the real one had fled to the west coast. Fortunately, Roderick Mackenzie’s sacrifice hasn’t been forgotten. If you want some authentic history while visiting Loch Ness then it’s worth the trip to pay your respects!
Discover Plodda Falls
After enjoying the calm waters of Loch Ness, next discover the crashing power of Plodda Falls. This 40m high beauty is found in the wild area to the west of the Loch. It takes a little bit of a detour from the main road but as you can see, it’s worth it. Once you’re there, the walk to the platform isn’t far from the car park at all.
You should absolutely extend the route down to get these views from below, if you have the time then enjoy a longer stroll around the woodland. If you’re visiting Loch Ness after heavy rain then you’re going to see Plodda Falls at its best! While I don’t know any stories about Plodda, the river than flows over the edge is the Allt na Bodachan. That means Stream of the Little Old Man, or in folklore terms it might mean Stream of The Brownie…
On the way to Plodda, you’ll need to drive through Tomich, a conservation village with a special statue. In 1868, Lord Tweedmouth began breeding the first Golden Retrievers on his Guisachan estate. It was a complicated mix but Goldens came from a Flat Coated Retriever, Tweed Water Spaniel, Red Setter and of course a Labrador as the final touch!
They were intended to be the perfect working gun dogs although they’ve become lovable family pets today. In 2014, this statue was erected to commemorate the breeds origins and the ruins of Guisachan House are sometimes overrun by a horde of Golden Retrievers! Check out the Golden Retriever Club diary for the next gathering.
Delve Into Ancient Chambered Cairns
People have been exploring Loch Ness for thousands of years, demonstrated by the collection of ancient monuments found there. While hundreds of bus trips visit the Clava Cairns to the east of the loch every year, try heading west instead. Corrimony Chambered Cairn is still easy to get to, but the lack of crowds makes it more special to me.
This burial cairn is around 4000 years old, surrounded by standing stones and covered in small cobbles. We know that a structure like this must have been important to our ancient ancestors, but its true purpose has been lost in time. We do know that at least one person was placed inside Corrimony a very long time ago.
Very feint remains of a body were found in the central chamber, barely identifiable. Only the shadowy shape of phosphorus leaked from the disintegrated bones gave any indication in the soil. It’s thought to be a woman from the way the body was positioned, probably high-status to be in such an important place. In truth, it’s impossible to say for sure.
Corrimony Chambered Cairn is open air, with no restrictions or tickets so available no matter when you’re visiting Loch Ness. I suggest you take the time to explore, climb right inside the cairn and make your own mind up about its mysteries!
The South Side of Loch Ness
Once you get to Fort Augustus, leave the easy, popular, commercial road behind and make sure you explore the south side of Loch Ness as well. Everything seems to get a wee bit steeper along here and a whole lot more dramatic. The scenery is incredible, the viewpoints worth the climb and the stories no less remarkable.
This road rises sharply until you come to the Suidhe Viewpoint and everything around Loch Ness is laid out before you. The poker straight track that descends before you gives away some of its history – you’re looking at General Wade’s Military Road. Built in the 18th century, it allowed government soldiers to march quickly through the Highlands and try to counter any Jacobite risings.
Further along the road, you’ll come to the wee community of Foyers. Grab a picnic from the Foyers Store then head down the short track opposite to find the Falls of Foyers. Sometimes it’s in spectacular form, unfortunately when I visited it was more of a trickle! Its source is used in a hydro-electric system so can be a bit variable.
Back in the 18th century, Robert Burns described the waterfall as a horrid cauldron, but he might have been in a bad mood from the climb. Apparently, it took a lot of effort to scramble to a good viewpoint of the Falls of Foyers up until the 1830s. One rich tourist was so frustrated that he started a fund to build the path we use today!
A Short Trip To Beauly
Back to the north of Loch Ness, it’s just a short trip to Beauly, somewhere so picturesque that the very name Beau Lieu means Beautiful Place! The real draw for me was the 13th century Beauly Priory, founded for the Valliscaulian Order of monks. Once used as the burial place for Mackenzie chiefs, the 550 year old effigy of the 7th Chief Kenneth Mackenzie can still be spotted through a metal grate.
It fell into disrepair after the Reformation and began gathering tales of ghosts and ghouls instead. With things going bump in the night, nobody dared enter after dark. Nobody apart from a tailor who bragged that he wasn’t afraid of anything. He’d even sit in Beauly Priory and sew a pair of hose by the moonlight to prove it.
Things were fine to start with, but around midnight came the sound of scrabbling. A skull emerged from a tomb, peering at the tailor and spoke to him “Look at my bony skull, I haven’t eaten in years”. The tailor replied “Aye. I see you, but I’ll sew this”.
Soon the shoulders appeared, then the chest and every time the ghoul moved, he asked the tailor to look. Whenever the tailor spoke, the bones stopped moving so he tried to make his replies as long as possible. Eventually, it was crawling towards the frantically working tailor.
As the ghoul said “Look at my big grey paw, without blood, flesh or muscles!”, it swiped for him. The tailor put the last stitch in and dived for the doorway, leaving the grey paw clutching thin air. Beauly Priory is free to visit, but maybe you should go in the daylight….
Downright Gabbler
Ghosts aside, Beauly is a great place to base yourself for visiting Loch Ness. Molly and I stayed at the Downright Gabbler, not just for comfortable accommodation but for incredible, entertaining meals. The re-imagined Scottish food was great, but the entertainment was even better!
There are different events to choose from and they all consist of expert storytelling to accompany your meal. You’ll be regaled with tales of Scottish heroes, inventers and visionaries or delve into the history behind whisky or beer. As a storyteller, I have to take my hat off to Garry as a real expert of the craft.
It’s a small, intimate dinner with just a few tables of guests, a really special form of entertainment. A meal at the Downright Gabbler takes you back to an old tradition, where lords and ladies were entertained during feasts by oral storytellers. It was a highlight when I was visiting Loch Ness and I’m convinced it would be yours too!
Solve Mysteries At Wardlaw Mausoleum
Not far from Beauly, you’ll find the Wardlaw Mausoleum, a burial place for the Lovat Frasers. It’s also home to an intriguing mystery surrounding a name Outlander fans will recognise – Simon Fraser, The Old Fox.
Simon was a very real character from the 1745 Jacobite rising, the wily Clan Chief of the Frasers of Lovat. He was determined to fall on the winning side, hedging his bets during the war until he was 100% sure. Unfortunately, his plan didn’t go so well, ending up in the Tower of London and becoming the last person executed by beheading in Britain.
Officials claim he was buried in a shallow grave amongst other traitors in London. Legend claims that Fraser clansmen smuggled his body north and laid him to rest in the Wardlaw Mausoleum. There was even a lead lined coffin there, with his name on it, perfect for transporting a body long distances.
Recently, the trustees of Wardlaw Mausoleum decided to find out for sure. The coffin was opened and a jumble of bones were found inside, crucially without a head. Things looked good for the legend and so scientists began to piece the skeleton together. That’s when things began to get a bit confusing.
There wasn’t just one skeleton in here, but remains from 5 different people. In fact the main body seemed to be not an old Jacobite Chief but a young woman! DNA tests were impossible but bone analysis shows that she had a diet similar to Londoners of the time. That doesn’t definitely mean she was from there, the rich of Inverness probably ate similar food.
Relax At Reelig Glen
It’s been a busy trip around Loch Ness, lots of history and mystery to make the brain work. Time to end things with a much more relaxed wander around beautiful Reelig Glen. Sometimes known as the Fairy Glen, it does feel like a magical place with the water trickling between soaring trees. In fact, Reelig Glen boasts many of Scotland’s tallest trees, some over 66 metres high!
Molly will attest that this is the perfect spot for a dog walk, with a couple of different trails to follow. We stuck to the Tall Trees Trail, following the Moniack River and crossing over at a curious wee grotto. Covered in moss and lichen, the strange structures were built to give locals paid employment when there was little else available for them.
It’s said that every night the fairies would destroy what had been achieved the previous day. Either they were being typically mischievous, or they wanted to keep those people in work for as long as possible.
Once you’ve visiting Loch Ness, why not explore a little further afield? The North Coast 500 driving route starts from Inverness or you could head west for my favourite trip to explore Applecross!
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