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Tours from Hazelgrove
Cottage - Loch
Ness and beyond
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There
are a huge variety of things to see and do in the Loch Ness area and
beyond.
Whatever
your particular interest, whether it be wildlife, flora, genealogy,
sites of historical interest or simply seeing this area of outstanding
scenic beauty, you will not be disappointed. Hazelgrove is an ideal
touring base for the Highlands. The Island
of Skye, the far North West, the spectacular mountains of Glen Coe, Aviemore and the
Cairngorms National Park and of course a Loch Ness circular tour can all
be enjoyed on day trips from Hazelgrove.
Listed
below is a short description of some of the tours that can be enjoyed
from Hazelgrove.
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1.
Historic Sites Tour.
This is essentially your ‘classic’ historic tour. From
Hazelgrove drive first to Culloden Battlefield, where in 1746
Bonnie Prince Charlie lead his troops to a catastrophic defeat.
The National Trust for Scotland owns the site, and it has a very
informative visitor centre. But you need only walk out onto the
battlefield with rain sweeping across the moor to ‘feel’ the
history!
After
Culloden move on to nearby Clava Cairns for a short stop.
Used as long ago as 3500BC these massive stone structures were
used for collective burials by cremation. Tucked away in woods off
the main road, they stand as an eerie testament to ancient times.
After
Clava it is a short drive to Fort George. Built after Culloden, it
was the largest military fortification in Europe at the time
and it is still in use today. Jutting out in to the Moray Firth,
you can sometimes see dolphins from it's ramparts!
From Fort
George the next stop is Castle Urquhart on the shores of Loch Ness.
One of the most visited attractions in the whole of Scotland this
scenic ruin on Strone Point towers above some of the deepest water
in Loch Ness. After the castle it is good to finish your day by
driving home to Hazelgrove
via the village of Fort Augustus.
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2.
Loch Ness Circular.
This tour takes in all the main
attractions around Loch Ness and a few more. The first stop is
less than two miles along the road at Boleskine Graveyard set
directly below Boleskine House home to Aleister Crowley, self
proclaimed 'most wicked man in the world', at the turn of the 20th
century. From there it is but two miles
to Foyers and the
majestic Falls of Foyers. Then, at Whitebridge, it is worth a
quick stop to view
the General Wade bridge which dates back to 1732.
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From
Whitebridge continue up to the road’s highest point at Suidhe Chuimen
at 1200ft. From here there are excellent views back north
towards Loch Mhor. Then continue on down past lonely Loch Tarff
to Fort Augustus. Fort
Augustus has many attractions, not least the Abbey and Caledonian
Canal. It’s a great place also just to wander and browse the
shops. After Fort Augustus is Invermoriston with
its old Telford bridge built in 1813 and picturesque riverside
walk. After Invermoriston, if you feel inclined, take a detour up Glen Moriston
and see the very strange and unexplained 'preachers footprints'!
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The
next stop is Castle Urquhart with its classic dramatic setting
overlooking Loch Ness, and the nearby Loch Ness Monster Exhibition
in Drumnadrochit. Also from here (or the nearby Clansman Hotel)
you may wish to take a
cruise out onto the Loch. From
Drumnadrochit return to Hazelgrove via Inverness.
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3.
Towards Skye and Wester Ross
This tour will take you far into the wild and dramatic mountain and
coastal scenery of north west Scotland. It is a long day but rest
assured you will return with memories not only of scenic
splendour, but of distant lands 'far from the madding crowd'.
From Hazelgrove drive to Fort Augustus then down as far as Invergarry. From Invergarry take "the road to the
Isles", heading north west towards Skye. This road passes
Loch Garry with stunning views westward, and lonely Loch Cluanie before descending into Glen
Shiel which is dominated by a range of mountains called the Five
Sisters of Kintail.
From there it is up the side of Loch
Duich to the village of Dornie and Eilean Donan Castle, ancient
seat of the MacKenzies of Kintail and one of the most picturesque
castles in Scotland. After a stop here, head on to Kyle of Lochalsh where you will get a good view "over the bridge over to
Skye", and then to Plockton, (possibly the most beautiful
village in Scotland!) with it's palm trees, brightly painted
houses and an excellent seafood restaurant!
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After Plockton follow the coast road along the shores of Loch Carron before heading up and over Bealach nam Bo (pass of the
cattle), which at 2000ft is the highest mountain pass in Scotland, to the remote and beautiful Applecross Peninsula. From the
summit of Bealach nam Bo you can enjoy spectacular
views across to the Isle of Skye and Raasay as well as further
west to the Outer Hebrides.
From Applecross head north east on to Shieldaig a small
and beautiful white painted village on the shores of Loch Torridon. After the
village of Torridon you will pass below the towering massif of Liatach
and Ben Eighe which are amongst the most spectacular Scottish mountains, and along Glen Torridon to
the small village of Kinlochewe.
From Kinlochewe continue east to Achnasheen which translates as
"the field of storms" in Gaelic and get good views of
Ben Wyvis which can be clearly seen from Inverness. From the
village of Garve turn south to cross the Kessock Bridge across
the Beauly Firth and into Inverness. From there it is back to
Hazelgrove.
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4. High Mountains and Glens.
This tour will take you south west to Spean Bridge, Fort William,
Ben Nevis and Glencoe. It is a tour on which to appreciate the
wild beauty of Scotland's highest mountains.
From Hazelgrove head down past Fort Augustus to your first stop
just outside Spean Bridge at the Commando Memorial.
The memorial is to the commandos who trained in the area during
WW2 and the spot affords excellent views of the massive Nevis
range of mountains.
Also near here is where the first shots of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745
were fired. It is an eerie place in a deep gorge near the remains
of General Wade's spectacular High Bridge.
Moving on, you may wish to stop in Spean
Bridge itself at the very good gift shop, before heading down to the
Aonach Mor Mountain Centre. Here you can take a trip up the mountain
gondola (optional) to a height of over 600m. A short walk from here
and you can view Ben Nevis itself, which at 1344m is Britain's
highest mountain.
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From Aonach
Mor continue down to Fort William and onto Glen Coe, scene of the
massacre of the Macdonalds in 1692 and also of spectacular
mountain scenery which has been a mecca for mountaineers for many
years. Stop at the new Glencoe Visitor Centre before moving on
to absorb the atmosphere of the Claichaig, the most famous of all climbing
fraternity hostelries in Scotland!
From Glen Coe
return to Spean Bridge and then, time permitting, follow the road past Roy
Bridge (with an optional stop at the "Parallel Roads" of Glen Roy) onto Loch Laggan and "Monarch of the Glen Country".
You then join the A9 at Kingussie and return to Hazelgrove via
Inverness.
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5. Journey to the Edge….
This is a round trip to the far north
coast of Scotland. From Hazelgrove head north past Carbisdale Castle and
the Falls of Shin (stop here to visit the ‘Harrods of the north’!)
to Lairg. From here on it’s all single track as you head up past Altnaharra
to Tongue. The landscape you pass through is harsh, barren and empty which gives
it a truly unique beauty of it’s own. This is one of the wildest and lonely
roads in Scotland and certainly not a place to break down!
From Tongue it’s on along the coast to Durness. The coastal
scenery here is rugged and the beaches are quite simply the most beautiful
in Europe – absolutely no question! It’s just a pity that the climate is not
a bit warmer! Durness itself is perched on the edge, the edge of Europe, the
edge of the world(?) There is a sense here of being so far away from
anywhere that it is hard to believe that you are only a few hours drive from
Hazelgrove
After a visit to the
spectacular Smoo Cave start the long journey home via Laxford Bridge and
Loch Shin. On this part of the journey keep an eye out for Golden Eagles
which thrive in the more remote highland glens that you will pass through. |
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Please read our car tour Terms
and conditions
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