In this post I will share some pictures from our day trip to Loch Ness, the Scottish Highlands and Urquhart Castle. We took a day trip to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle as part of our 2-week long EID vacation trip to the UK where we also visited London, Cardiff, York, Stirling Castle, St. Andrews, and Edinburgh. In the Scottish Gaelic language, which was an adaptation of the Gaelic language brought to Northern Scotland by early Irish settlers, Loch was the word for lake. The river Ness flows north to south from the city of Inverness into Loch Ness or Lake Ness. The easiest way to visit Loch Ness and Castle Urquhart are by car or bus tour. For our day trip we opted for the Bus tour which is about a 4 hour drive both ways with stops for food and bathroom breaks, a chance to take pictures of Ben Nevis and Glencoe. The trip also includes a two hour stop at Urquhart Castle and a scenic 30 minute Loch Ness cruise.
Ben Nevis and Glencoe
On the drive up to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle you will have a chance to stop and take some photos of the Scottish Highlands including Glencoe and Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the tallest mountain in the British Isles at around 4400 ft above sea level and is the far right peak in the image below. It looks slightly lower in the image just due to the proximity of the peaks to the camera in this image. Glencoe shown in the second image below is a beautiful area and home to the tragic 1692 massacre of the Clan MacDonald.
Urquhart Castle
The Urquhart Castle ruins date from the 13th – 16th century and the grounds also incudes a restaurant, museum, and dock for catching Loch Ness boat tours. The ruins are not large and can be easily explored in less than an hour. Although much of the castle is no longer standing the main tower has a modern landing and excellent view of the Loch and surrounding Highlands.
Loch Ness
After exploring Urquhart Castle make sure to take the scenic Loch Ness Cruise and enjoy some views of the Loch and rugged open Highlands country side. Also keep your eyes open for the Nessie.
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