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A small white cruiser on Loch Ness below the ruined tower of Urquhart Castle.
Inverness

The Nessie Hunter

Hourly cruises on Loch Ness from Nessieland in Drumnadrochit, a small boat with local skippers, a sonar screen and a close look at Urquhart Castle.

Welcome

For a smaller, more personal trip on Loch Ness, the Nessie Hunter sails every hour from Drumnadrochit.

You check in at the craft shop at Nessieland, and a minibus runs you down to a private jetty on the loch, where the skipper who drove you takes the wheel.

It is a small boat, carrying no more than twelve, so there is room for everyone: up on the top deck for the views, inside below, or out at the rails. The skippers are local and full of stories, about the loch, the monster and the Highlands, and a screen in the cabin shows the sonar, tracing the depths of the loch and the shoals of fish far below. Children may even get a turn at the wheel.

The highlight is Urquhart Castle, its ruined tower and walls rising from their headland, seen close up from the water. Book ahead in summer.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Not farThe KitchenA modern brasserie in a glass building of three floors on the bank of the River Ness in Inverness, looking out at the castle and the river.13 milesSee itThe Kitchen
Before you go

Cruises leave every hour through the season; book on the Loch Ness Cruises site and check in at the craft shop at Nessieland, from where a minibus takes you to the jetty.

Check in
Nessieland, Drumnadrochit, IV63 6TU.
Sailings
Hourly.
Boat
Up to 12 guests.

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Where it is

At Nessieland in Drumnadrochit, off the A82 by the Cannich road, IV63 6TU.

Close byDrumnadrochit.
  1. The Loch Ness Centre building, dated 1882, with twin gabled towers and window displaysThe Loch Ness ExperienceThe monster story next door.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Ruined stone tower of Urquhart Castle seen through autumn foliage on Loch NessUrquhart CastleThe castle the boat sails past.2 miles 7 min by road
  3. Nessie model overlooking Loch Ness beside the roadside viewpointLoch Ness Statue4 miles 6 min by road
  4. Oil burner and dried petals beside "Grounded" book on a windowsill tableMade in the Glen6 miles 9 min by road
  5. The RSPB's weathered wooden sign for Loch Comhnard at Corrimony, the loch beyond among young birches and moorland under a blue sky, with wind turbines on a far hill.RSPB CorrimonyAn RSPB nature reserve of open moorland and old Caledonian pinewood at Corrimony.8 miles as the crow flies
  6. Loch Ness with autumn-coloured hills rising along its far shoreLoch NessThe loch itself.26 miles 36 min by road
Directions
Standing stones and cairn at Balnuaran of Clava, framed by tree leavesAttractionsCorrimony Chambered Cairn8.5 miles
A stone grotto arch thick with moss and hung with ferns beside a muddy woodland path in Reelig Glen.WalksReelig Glen8.6 miles
The ochre-harled old Kilmorack church, now Kilmorack Gallery, with its banner by the door, a giant metal spider sculpture on the gravel and a large metal lizard on the wall.AttractionsKilmorack Gallery8.8 miles
A wild bridal bouquet of pale dahlias, grasses, daisies and berries by Wild Gorse Studio.ShoppingWild Gorse Studio9.4 miles
Loch Monar at the head of Glen Strathfarrar, with a small island of pines, the curved Monar dam and its intake tower, and heather hills under broken cloud.WalksGlen Strathfarrar9.6 miles
Café counter with espresso machine, blue tiled wall and world map muralCafeGlen Rowan Cafe13 miles
River cascading over rocky falls through a wooded gorgeAttractionsInvermoriston Falls13 miles
The Wardlaw Mausoleum at Kirkhill, a pale building with a belfry, among old headstones in the graveyard.AttractionsWardlaw Mausoleum13 miles
Tringa's long turf-roofed log walls on the hill, foxgloves in flower in the grass below.StruyTringa at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 19 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the boat trip, and when each is next free.

A white harled cottage with a slated roof and gabled porch sits behind a garden of wildflowers, a table and chairs on the patio.Garden Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Dores
  • 7 miles from the Nessie Hunter
Check datesA stone cottage with a slated roof and dormer windows sits behind a gravel drive, ivy covering one gable end.Ivy Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dores
  • 7 miles from the Nessie Hunter
Check datesA stone steading with green shutters and a slated roof sits beside a gravel drive, mature trees framing the entrance.South Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Inverness
  • 7 miles from the Nessie Hunter
Check datesA pink harled house with turreted gables and stepped chimneys stands among pine trees behind a dry stone wall.Gatehouse Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dores
  • 7 miles from the Nessie Hunter
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in InvernessAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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