THINGS TO DO

Our properties in Drumnadrochit are the ideal base for short and long Loch Ness Stays.

 

Places to Eat:

• The Lewiston Restaurant at the Loch Ness Inn, located at the end of West Lewiston Road and around 5 minutes on foot, or 1 min by car. It has a customer car park and serves great Scottish food with consistently good reviews. It also has a Brewery Bar, popular with locals and tourists.
  Open Mon-Fri, 5pm-9pm. Book in advance to reserve a table. Phone: 01456 450991 or book online. 

• The Italian Job is around 5-10 min on foot or 3 mins by car. Take away or sit in. Serves superb pizza baked in a wood fire oven and has veggie options.
  Open Tue-Sat, 5pm-7:30pm. Close Sun & Mon. [Cash only]

• Shack’s Fish and Chips is around 5-10 minutes on foot or 3 minutes by car. It serves good portions of quality fish suppers and tasty burgers. Takeaway or Sit in. Large scampi and king prawns are delicious!
  Open Monday through Sunday, 4 pm-9 pm. [Cash Only] Phone: 01456 453302, or order online. 

• Fiddler’s Highland, serves amazing Scottish dishes and has an award-winning malt whisky selection. Around 15-20 min on foot, or 5 mins by car. Parking at the Drumnadrochit Hub.
  Open Mon-Sun 12:30 pm-9 pm during peak months. Closed during off-peak winter months. Book in advance for a table. Phone 01456 450678.

• Loch Ness Deli, 15-20 min on foot or 5 min by car. Highly recommended for breakfast and lunch. Cakes are divine. No booking is required. It is very popular with tourists, and service is quick.
  Open Mon-Sun 10 am–3:30 pm, open all year around. Phone: 01456 450282

• Cafe 82: 10 min on foot, 3 min by car. Excellent quality food, varied menu, and home-baked focaccia! Dog friendly also.
  Open Mon-Sun 9am-3pm, open all year around. Contact: 07771 460 526 / Infocafeeighty2@gmail.com

• Scotmid Coop Supermarket: 5-10 min on foot or 5 min by car. Well-stocked for daily groceries, food, veg and fruits. Also has a hot counter from which you can grab a quick-cooked breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, soup, delicious steak pies, cakes and Costa coffee. It's very handy if you want budget and warm takeaways.
  Open Mon-Sun, 6:30 am to 10 pm.

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Petrol:

Esso petrol and Garage opens Mon-Sun, 9 am-7 pm, at the end of the Lewiston Road, turn left on to the A82 and the garage is 20 metres on the left, across from Cafe 82. 

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Loch Ness Hub is at Drumnadrochit town centre, a short walking distance of 15-20 minutes. It is a one-stop shop for Loch Ness tours, Urquhart Castle tickets etc. 

 

Things to do:

Want to get up close and personal with Nessie? Here are FOUR top sights we recommend for you to enjoy the stunning beauty of Loch Ness and paddling in the water.

 

 

1) Urquhart Castle: open Mon-Sun, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm. Around 25 min on foot or 5 min by car from our holiday accommodations. Rated as one of the top must-see sights in the Highlands. The views are just “WOW”.

 

The castle can be easily reached on foot from either Garden Flat or Hideaway Pod. Walk to the end of West Lewiston Road and turn right onto A82. A footpath runs along A82, and it takes you to the castle.

 

Walking along the footpath, you will see great views of Loch Ness and the castle from a distance. A ticket (£13) is required to get into the castle. Advanced online booking is recommended during the peak seasons of Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.  Once you are in, you can access Loch Ness directly from the Castle grounds.

 

2) Loch Ness Cruise: the nearest point for Loch Ness Cruises by Jacobite Cruises is Clansman Hotel, which is on A82, about 15 min by car from the Drumnadrochit. Book a ticket (£30 ) online or purchase on-site at Clansman.

From Clansman harbour, you can access Loch Ness directly. Turn left at the ticket box on the harbour, you can walk along Loch Ness and you will see the Witch’s Rock which is a large black rock sitting in the water. Please feel free to climb onto the top of the rock. The views are outstanding.

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3) Loch Ness Viewpoint- Fort Augustus: best spot for a panorama view of Loch Ness from the bottom, perfect for a selfie, Nessie monster spotting or paddling. Fort Augustus is 20-25 mins along the A82 by car from Drumnadrochit. You can access Loch Ness directly from Loch Ness Viewpoint. For refreshments, we highly recommend Boathouse Café and Restaurant, across the canal from Loch Ness Viewpoint. It is the best spot to eat and enjoy the stunning view of Loch Ness. You can also take a picnic to eat on the shore of the loch.

 

4) Dores Beach: located on the North shore of Loch Ness, the beach offers the most stunning sunsets and one of the best views of the loch and the Great Glen beyond. You can paddle in the loch or walk along the pebble shore. It is around 25 mins by car up north and is home to the legendary Steve Feltham, the most famous of the Nessie Hunters. He has devoted his life to searching for Nessie and lives in his converted van on Dores Beach. You may be lucky to run into Steve and ask him questions about Nessie.

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The warmest of welcomes to Loch Ness!

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If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in the skies around Drumnadrochit during late summer and autumn.

For hikers and nature lovers, there are many well-signposted hiking tracks around the ancient forests surrounding the village, such as Coiltie Loop, Craignmonie and Balmacaan woods, and for the more adventurous, Drumnadrochit is the perfect base for exploring the Great Glen Way and Glen Affric.

Drumnadrochit has excellent road links for exploring other renowned nearby attractions. Within a 1 or 2 hours drive, you can reach Fort William and Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, the Isle of Skye, Cairngorm Mountains National Park, Applecross Peninsula, Outlander filming sites, famous whisky distilleries, beautiful beaches, Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands and much, much more.