It was another summer’s sunny day as we woke up in the Highlands capital of Inverness which really lifted the mood. The reason for this was because it was time to head south towards Fort William but we had an important mission on the way. The mission, to find the Loch Ness Monster at Loch Ness (Lake Ness). We have heard all the stories from bygone years but for some reason, never say never. Today could be the day the monster might appear!
The drive to the northern tip of the Loch where a small settlement called Lochend is located, took us about twenty minutes to drive from the centre of Inverness. The A82 follows the River Ness and the views along the road were beautiful. Some much greenery, trees, flowers, thistles to be had. Despite being peak season (mid-July), the road was empty during the morning rush hour. We had the road to ourselves. There were laybys along the route so we could stop and park the car up, admire the beautiful lakeside views and get some photography in. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to do any hiking on this day but to stop alongside the Loch, feel the warm sun on our faces and smell the fresh grass smell up our nostrils, was just how we like to start the day.
Our main stop along the road which follows the western shoreline of Loch Ness was to be Urquhart Castle. Olga and I love our castles and this one turned out to be really spectacular. The ruins of Urquhart Castle sprawls across a rocky promontory overlooking the Loch, but why located here, half way down the Loch? Well, a quick history lesson is needed. The Loch is known as the Great Glen and runs on a natural fault line between Fort William to Inverness. There is a series of Lochs along this fault line with Loch Ness being the largest, which meant armies could easily travel up and down the Lochs with ease as it was the easiest way to transport goods and personnel. Because of this, Loch Ness needed defending so Urquhart Castle was built. Since then, the castle has been known as the Guardian of the Great Glen.
When was the castle built? No one is sure on this but on archaeological evidence, it is very likely the castle was once a Pictish residence. A visit by St Columba around 580 AD seemed to have happened as he gave the last rites to a Pictish elder. At the same time St Columba brought Christianity to the area and also there were rumours that he had some sort of conflict with a monster in the Loch. However there is no evidence for this. However historians know that in the 1230s, King Alexander II of Scotland gave a local wealthy family known as the Durwards, permission to build a castle on the land to defend the Loch. It wasn’t long however that their neighbours to the South, the English under the reign of King Edward I, captured the castle during the Wars of Independence. The English didn’t held it for long, the Scots won the war and the English booted out of Scotland. Six years of peace passed until King Edward’s army tried again, took the castle and held it for five years. Then Scotland’s Robert the Bruce came along just to kick the English out again.
However the castle was in decline quite early on. In the 1500s a lot of raids took place at the castle. It wasn’t the English coming up trying to reclaim the area, but between two clans, the Grant’s and the MacDonald’s. In the Great Raid of 1545, the MacDonald’s took everything from the castle. Not just ‘rich pickings’ but even beds, kitchen equipment and cauldrons! Over one hundred years later in 1650, Oliver Cromwell from England came up the island to invade Scotland, however when he got to Urquhart, he didn’t even bother with the place as there was nothing there. The castle started to fall into ruins around 1692 when the Jacobite uprising happened. Government forces blew up the castle to stop the castle falling into enemy hands.
That's the history so what did Olga and I do when we arrived at the castle? After going through the admission process (we had free entry with our Historic Scotland pass, anyone interested in this, membership details are here and is well worth it. There are so many sites which can be seen on this membership, you will surely get your money back after going to two or three sites), we checked out the introductory film which explains about the castle’s location and history. After that we took in the viewing platform to check out the beautiful views over the Loch (we still couldn’t see the Loch Ness monster!).
Then we walked around the ruins consisting of the Upper Bailey and the Lower Bailey (also known as the Nether). On the Upper Bailey at the southern part of it, is the highest part of the ruins. It is also the oldest fortified section and is also another great place to take in the amazing views of the Loch. There is also the remains of an old dovecot which used to house pigeons which were used for meat. Yummy!
Around the Lower Bailey, there is the guardhouse and the watergate, which gave quick access to the Loch. The Grant Tower is probably the most prominent building of all the castle grounds and again, a place where great views are to be had. The Great Hall is also here but separate to the tower, and this is where the Grant family used to entertain their guests.
Leaving the castle we drove south towards Fort William, but with one more stop to do, at the Southern tip of Loch Ness, Fort Augustus, where we saw canal locks and took in a short walk at the Loch to which we gave up looking for the Loch Ness Monster. We had a great time exploring the castle and parts of the lake and the drive on the lakeshore (all twenty-seven miles). I totally recommend coming to this part of the Highlands, it's worth every penny and the memories you will take home will be treasured.
Essential information on Urquhart Castle
How to get to Urquhart Castle:
First off, to get to Scotland. Scotland has five main airports and has good rail/road connections to them. Glasgow International lies west of the city and has a speedy bus service to Glasgow Central train station and takes about twenty minutes (non-stop). Prestwick is the no-frills airport for Glasgow and lies just north of Ayr but has a great rail connection between Ayr and Glasgow. Edinburgh is the main airport which lies west of the city and has good connections to the centre. Aberdeen in the North-East of the country and Inverness which lies south of the Highlands.
The first place I would go to find airline tickets to the city is using (I would recommend) Skyscanner to find flights as that is my first point of call. Then if necessary use the airlines directly to find a good deal. I sometimes use Momondo as well to compare prices before booking.
Train: The nearest train station is Inverness just to the north of Loch Ness. Then from there, take a bus or taxi or maybe hire a bike.
However, I believe it's best to arrive by car. From Inverness take the A82 (signposted for Fort William) and stay on the road. After Drumnadrochit village, Urquhart castle is located on the left hand side of the road (all signposted with brown signs). Coming south from Glasgow, take the A82 all the way from the city to the castle via Fort William, this will be about four hours of driving (and its 160 miles). However, you can save time by taking the M80 towards Stirling, then A9 all the way to Inverness and back down the A89. This will save about forty minutes of driving. At Urquhart castle, parking is free and there are plenty of spaces.
Car Rentals - as I do a lot of road trips around the world, I use Rentalcars.com which is very reliable for booking car hire in advance. I also use Turo (the airbnb of car rentals) and never had a problem with them. The cars are insured, owners vetted and never had an issue.
Accommodation: There are a lot of accommodation options and a lot of websites which can do some great deals. My first point of call is always Booking.com and can offer a range of hostels, hotels, campsites, apartments, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts.. After that I always have a look through AirBnb and Vrbo for great deals on apartments and other lodgings especially when traveling as a family.
Currency: Scotland uses the British Pound Sterling currency and also has their own bank notes from the Bank of Scotland which is also legal tender anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Currency can be exchanged at the airports and train stations (for a huge fee) so I would recommend either going to a currency exchange place downtown, to a bank (if they have good rates) or if you got a good bank account with fantastic exchange rates, then use an ATM machine (may incur a small fee but I always do this option as I got good bank accounts). A great website I use to compare currency exchange rates is XE, which gives people up to date information.
Language: Scotland uses English but they also have their own language in the highlands and western isles (mainly) called Gaelic. Although speakers of the Scottish language were persecuted over the centuries, Gaelic is still spoken today by around 60,000 Scots. Endowed with a rich heritage of music, folklore and cultural ecology, Gaelic in Scotland is thriving and enjoying a revival!
Watch out for: As far as I am aware, there are no major scams to look out for. As always in Europe, watch out for the usual pickpockets or any pretty crimes but I felt very safe in Scotland.
Travel insurance: This is essential to anywhere you go in the world. I always carry travel insurance. Having travel insurance will cover you from theft, illness and those annoying cancellations which can happen on the road. Safety Wing offers coverage for a lot of adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and so forth.
Need a visa for the United Kingdom/Scotland? Always check if you need a visa when coming to the United Kingdom, especially for those who come from outside Europe.
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Please note that while I was not working with the guys at Urquhart Castle or Historic Scotland, my review and experiences written about in this post are 100% genuine. I value my readers too much to lie to you. My blog would be nothing without you and your continued support! There maybe some links above which are affiliate and are at no additional cost to you. If my readers use them, I earn a commission to buy their products and remember, I only mentioned products and companies I use. The income from this keeps this website going. Thank you.
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