Loch Ness

Just ten minutes from Millness Croft.

It's a beautiful place full of magic, mystery and myth. Loch Ness is the most famous loch in the world, formed by, and lies within, a natural fault in the earth's crust, The Great Glen. It divides the North of Scotland along a line from Fort William to Inverness, and provides a navigable link between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is 23 miles long and a mile wide, and has a depth of 754 feet, (that's deeper than the North Sea), and has never been known to freeze. It contains an estimated 263,000 million cubic feet of fresh water, exceeding that of any other loch or lake in Great Britain, is three times greater than Loch Lomond, and is deep enough to cover the Empire State Building. The loch is about 10,000 years old and dates from the end of the last Ice Age, (which lasted for 20,000 years).

Loch Ness is home to the world famous Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie. There have been Nessie sightings since the 6th century when an Irish Saint, St Columba, recorded an eye to eye confrontation. The story goes that St Columba ordered one of his monks to swim across the loch and fetch a boat. Halfway across the monster appeared and rushed at the swimmer, roaring in a most frightening manner! St Columba cried at the monster "go no further, nor touch the man, go back". The monster fled.

There have been numerous sightings over the centuries, with the most recorded in the 20th century. The monster is usually described as having a small head at the end of a long neck, with a broad body with humps, and sometimes as having four flippers and a long tail with a rounded end.

You can drive down beside the loch yourself, nearest to us is the Northern side, where there are special places reserved for tourists to read information notices, and where you can stand and watch and take photographs. During the summer months you will often hear the enchanting sounds of the Loch Ness piper. On the southern side, it's much quieter, but also very interesting and there are lots of wild deer just roaming around the moor and mountain land. Take the B851 Inverness to Foyers.

Why not take a cruise on the loch? There are cruises with Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises, departing from Tomnahurich Bridge (Inverness), or Clansman Harbour (on the loch side a few mins. from Drumnadrochit), ranging from one hours to four hour cruises. Or maybe you fancy a land and loch cruise? Try Discover Loch Ness aboard their unsurpassed, award-winning historical and heritage tour, (with live commentary), daily from Inverness.

We'd also suggest a visit to the Loch Ness 2000 Exhibition, and the Original Loch Ness Monster centre at Drumnadrochit, where all available monster evidence is on display for and against the existence of Nessie. Both open all year.

We think that this is a wonderful, enduring mystery that really appeals to young and old, how marvellous to think of such an enigma in this day and age. Long may this be so! Remember: You have to believe in Nessie if you want to see her!

Urquhart Castle

The very beautiful, and magnificently situated Urquhart Castle, on the northern shores of Loch Ness, just a few mins. from Drumnadrochit, is simply a must to visit. It remains an impressive stronghold despite its ruinous state. Once one of Scotland's largest castles, Urquhart's remains include a tower house, Grant Tower (16th century) that commands splendid views of the famous loch and the Great Glen. The castle's history and that of the noble families, Durward, MacDonald and Grant, who held it, is told in the exhibition and audio-visual display in the new visitor centre. The centre has a vast array of medieval artefacts found at the castle; you can then relax in the café and visit the shop with local crafts. Open all year.

Drumnadrochit

Drumnadrochit, (ten mins. from Millness Croft), lies at the head of Urquhart Bay on Loch Ness. At its heart is a village green, complete with a beautiful model of Urquhart Castle, sculptured from hedges and plants, which looks stunning in the summer months. Around the green are pretty white cottages, an excellent pub (Fiddlers Café Bar and Highland restaurant), cafes, and a village shop and post office. Along from the green towards the car park complete with tourist information centre, lies a gallery and gift shop, displaying work by local artists.

Heading up Glen Urquhart from Drumnadrochit towards Millness Croft

Glen Urquhart records the sport of Shinty being played in the 17th century. This ancient Celtic sport of camanachd was long practised in the Highlands as a convenient, and slightly less bloody, substitute for clan warfare. Here in Glen Urquhart the sport was officially recognised in 1884 when the first official Shinty club came into being, and is still played today with many a hard fought game between Glen Urquhart and neighbouring, arch-rivals Strathglass. You will pass the very beautiful and very peaceful, Loch Meiklie.

Corrimony cairn and RSPB nature reserve

You could walk to Corrimony from Millness Croft (about fifteen mins.), or by car a couple of mins. drive. We actually look over at the reserve from Millness Croft.

Across from the car park, (on main road), you will see the ancient chambered cairn, (dating back to the Bronze Age, about 1500B.C. and may even be 1800 B.C.), and its enclosing stone circle of eleven standing stones. It is an excavated 'passage grave' where it holds cremated and uncremated remains. It provides us with the earliest evidence of man, in the Glen.

The RSPB Nature Reserve here at Corrimony is well worth a visit. It has open moor land, conifer plantations and native woodland. Way-markers guide visitors to Loch Comhnard which in summer attracts common sandpipers, greenshanks and curlews, along with occasional red-throated divers and ospreys. In winter, look for golden eyes and whooper swans. Black grouse are often seen in the birchwoods and spotted flycatchers, bullfinches and wood warblers nest in the pinewoods.

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