Things to See
Dornoch Drumnadrochit Fort George Glen Affric Inverness Speyside Wester Ross (North) Wester Ross (South) Ullapool Castles & Battlefields Distilleries
Drumnadrochit and the surrounding area hosts a wealth of things to see and do, whether you wish to spend the whole of your holiday in the immediate vicinity of the village, or whether you wish to travel further afield as well.
In the immediate vicinity of Drumnadrochit, the largest and most obvious attraction is Loch Ness - and the possibility of spotting Nessie, perhaps! A visit to The Official Loch Ness Monster Exhibition Centre should therefore be on your list of things to do! Cruises on Loch Ness are available from Drumnadrochit Bay, and there is a drive which can be taken right around the loch, incorporating a most pleasant B-road which runs along the far shore and which incorporates part of General Wade's Military Road. On this south east side of Loch Ness there is a fine set of forest walks with excellent views above the village of Inverfarigaig, whilst at Dores there is an attractive village pub. Also on Loch Ness just outside Drumnadrochit village is Castle Urquhart, standing in a commanding position on a rocky outcrop. See our "Useful Links" page for links to websites of this area.
For those who wish to tour, there is much to see and explore in this delightful area of Scotland. The attractions of Wester Ross and Skye & Lochalsh, from Fort William and Ben Nevis in the south to Gairloch and Ullapool in the north, are within easy striking distance. To the east there is the lovely area of Speyside with its numerous malt whisky distilleries, together with the sandy beaches and attractive coastal towns of Nairn, Forres and Lossiemouth along the south side of the Moray Firth.
Dornoch Drumnadrochit Fort George Glen Affric Inverness Speyside Wester Ross (North) Wester Ross South) Ullapool Castles & Battlefields Distilleries
Just 20 minutes' drive from Drumnadrochit is the famous and very beautiful Glen Affric with its stunning views. At the end of the public road, there is a car park from which there are waymarked walks, long distance and hill walks. See our "Useful Links" page for more information.
As mentioned above, the very attractive Speyside area is within easy motoring distance to the east, approached via the magnificent town of Grantown-on-Spey, the plans for which were laid in 1765 by Sir James Grant. From Grantown, the Malt Whisky Trail can be reached, taking you to many of the whisky distilleries in the area. Names such as Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Macallan, Aberlour, Glenlivet, to name but a few, will be familiar to most people. Most of the distilleries are open to visitors and offer tours which usually include a free dram - most enjoyable, but please be careful if you are the driver! See our "Useful Links" page for links to a number of distillery websites.
Some 15 miles up the A82 from Drumnadrochit is the City of Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands. This is a rapidly growing city incorporating new and old, from the recently completed Eastgate Centre with its large new Debenhams store, to the Victorian Market centre with its variety of interesting individual shops, these including a music shop selling bagpipes and a model shop selling a wide variety of trains, cars, trucks, etc., which will be of interest to boys of all ages! Inverness has all the facilities you would expect of a modern city - theatres, cinemas, restaurants, pubs, hotels, leisure centre, etc., not to mention some very attractive riverside walks alongside the River Ness. It is from here that the Great Glen way starts on its 73-mile journey south west to Fort William. See our "Useful Links" page for links to a number of Inverness websites.
Dornoch Drumnadrochit Fort George Glen Affric Inverness Speyside Wester Ross (North) Wester Ross South) Ullapool Castles & Battlefields Distilleries
Close to Inverness are several castles and places of historical interest. The main ones of these are Cawdor Castle, Culloden Battlefield (the scene of the last major battle fought on mainland Britain), Brodie Castle and Fort George. The latter in particular is quite fascinating, having been built shortly after the Battle of Culloden as a military garrison housing some 1600 infantry, and intended to quell any further Jacobite risings. The fort was built at huge cost equivalent to nearly £1 billion in today's money, and represents the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain. It is still in regular use today as a working army barracks, although there have been recent talks about this use discontinuing. A very important side attraction of Fort George is that dolphins can often be seen from its ramparts which give a grandstand view across the Moray Firth. See our "Useful Links" page for links to a number of websites about these places of interest.
A few miles to the north of Inverness up the A9 lies the pretty little village of Dornoch, a place which has made the headlines in recent years as the venue for Madonna's wedding. One of its other claims to fame is a quite superb and seemingly endless stretch of sandy beach along the shore of the Dornoch Firth. At the time of the writer's last visit to Dornoch, there was a shop in the village selling quite the most delicious Italian ice cream ever tasted - an absolute "must visit"! Whilst on the subject of food and drink, you will pass the Dalmore and Glenmorangie malt whisky distilleries when travelling up the A9 from Inverness towards Dornoch. There are links to the websites for both these distilleries on our "Useful Links" page.
Dornoch Drumnadrochit Fort George Glen Affric Inverness Speyside Wester Ross (North) Wester Ross South) Ullapool Castles & Battlefields Distilleries
Travelling south west and then west from Drumnadrochit, a whole new area of the Highlands opens up, the beautiful West Coast with its many sea lochs. The combination of mountains and water is quite magnificent and attracts visitors from all around the world.
A superb day out can be had in Skye & Lochalsh and Wester Ross by making a round trip drive via Invermoriston and the A887/A87 to the west towards Kyle of Lochalsh, and then returning via the A890/A832 through Achnasheen, Garve, Muir of Ord and Beauly. This journey takes you through some of the most stunning scenery in the British Isles, and you will see a number of famous landmarks on the way - Cluanie Inn, the dramatic Glen Shiel, the Five Sisters of Kintail and Eilean Donan Castle to mention but a few. Detours from this route can be made to Glenelg (which has a car ferry crossing to Skye) via Mam Ratagan, with some truly spectacular views on the way; also, from Kyle of Lochalsh you can cross to the Isle of Skye via the Skye Bridge (now toll-free!), from where another whole new world waits to be explored!
Another possible detour from the suggested round trip takes in Lochcarron (reputed to be the longest village in Scotland) and Kishorn, from where there is a mountain road leading to Applecross via the Bealach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle). This road starts from sea level and reaches an altitude of 2,053 feet, pretty well the highest road in Britain. This is a most spectacular drive with some magnificent scenery along the way, especially from the car park at the top from which one has a panoramic view across to the Isles of Skye and Raasay. On the far side one reaches the pretty little village of Applecross with its excellent inn which has deservedly won several awards for its food.
Dornoch Drumnadrochit Fort George Glen Affric Inverness Speyside Wester Ross (North) Wester Ross South) Ullapool Castles & Battlefields Distilleries
Travelling north west from Inverness, an easy drive on good roads takes one to the very attractive town of Ullapool in its pretty setting on the shores of Loch Broom. The town originally grew around the local fishing industry and celebrated its bicentenary a few years ago. Today it is kept busy with tourists and is the terminal for the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry service to Stornoway. Ullapool is home to a variety of shops, restaurants, hotels and inns, the most notable of which is the Ferry Boat Inn on the harbour front.
En route to or from Ullapool, time should be taken to stop at the Corrieshalloch Gorge and the Falls of Measach, which can be viewed from a suspended viewing platform. The falls are quite a sight, especially after heavy rain - there is a link to a descriptive website on our "Useful Links" page.
Another excellent round trip drive taking in the northern part of Wester Ross can be had by travelling the A835 from Inverness as far as Garve, and thence via the A832 right around through Achnasheen, Kinlochewe, Gairloch, Aultbea, Laide and Dundonnell, rejoining the A835 Ullapool road at Braemore Junction. This journey takes in a wealth of sights and places: Glen Docherty, Loch Maree, Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, superb beaches at Gairloch and Gruinard Bay, the tropical gardens at Inverewe - the list goes on and on. See our "Useful Links" page for links to websites about the area.
We have attempted to give you a flavour of what there is to see and do in this area, but it's impossible to do it justice in the space available. We have repeatedly used epithets such as "superb", "magnificent" and "spectacular" and we're not exaggerating - if you are not familiar with the Scottish Highlands, we can only suggest you come and take a look for yourself. You will not be disappointed, we promise!
Dornoch Drumnadrochit Fort George Glen Affric Inverness Speyside Wester Ross (North) Wester Ross South) Ullapool Castles & Battlefields Distilleries