From Inverness to Loch Ness , Cawdor Castle , Culloden and more

Loch Ness is 23 miles long and at its widest point it is just 1.5 miles wide. Nessie was first seen by St. Columba in 564 AD. Every year people are reporting sightings - in 2017 there were 11 sightings, and in 2018 there were 13 sightings. Keep your eyes peeled as we journey around the loch.

Our first stop is at the Wellington lay-by where on the 31st December 1939 a Wellington Bomber from RAF Lossiemouth was forced to ditch after suffering engine failure. The remains of the bomber were recovered in 1985 and it has been fully restored and is now in Brooklands Museum in Weybridge in Surrey.

Carrying on through Drumnadrochit we come to Urquhart Castle sitting on a rocky promontory with fantastic views over Loch Ness. This 800 year old castle has had a turbulent and bloody history. Explore the ruins and visitor centre.

Beauly Priory is currently closed due to recent high winds causing masonry to fall , we do not know when it will reopen. We will still visit Beauly where you can see The Priory from the gate.

Leaving Urquhart Castle, we head back to Drumnadrochit and take the Culnakirk Hill Road towards Beauly and our next stop, the Beauly Priory. The priory was founded in the 13th century for monks of the Valliscaulian order. In the grounds of the priory you will find the Beauly Elm Tree, this tree is 800 years old and is the oldest elm tree in Europe.

Cawdor Castle re-opens on the 27th April 2024
Cawdor Castle, has been home to the Thanes of Cawdor since 1370. The castle is set in stunning grounds and gardens and is surrounded by the magnificent Cawdor Big Wood, one of the finest woodland areas in Europe.

We head back towards Inverness to the Clava Cairns. The Clava Cairns are 4000 years old and the area is an ancient cemetery. The sites contain a range of prehistoric burial monuments and the remains of a medieval chapel.

The Clava Cairns provided inspiration for Creag Na Dun in the Outlander series and the Cleft Stone can be found here.

Less than a mile from Clava Cairns is Culloden Battlefield where on the 16th April 1746 the last battle on British soil was fought and the final Jacobite Rising came to a brutal end. In less than one hour, 1600 men were slain, 1500 of them Jacobites. This was to change the way of life in the Highlands forever.

Walk round the battlefield and see the memorial cairn and the clan burial stones, and visit the visitor centre.

We pass by Inverness Castle where you will see in the grounds of the castle a statue of Flora Macdonald who was famous for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the Battle of Culloden.

Inverness Cathedral is the most northerly Anglican Cathedral in the UK. The Cathedral was commissioned by Bishop Eden and was completed in 1866.