Activities

For active visitors a range of activities are available around Loch Ness ranging from canoeing in a Canadian fur canoe to pony trekking on the hills overlooking the loch. The most popular activities are however walking and cycling with literally dozens of waymarked trails and just as many unmarked routes. Try sections of the Great Glen Way that runs from Fort William to Inverness, the Caledonian canal or the trails at Abriachan, Drumnadrochit, Inverfarigaig, Foyers, Fort Augustus or Glen Affric. Glen Affric and neighbouring glens also offer excellent hillwalking. For cyclists the quiet roads on the south side of the loch are particularly suitable while forests throughout the area include mountain bike trails with Glenurquhart and Glen Affric being particularly good. For the less energetic Loch Ness, a number of hill lochs and the local rivers provide excellent fishing with Strathglass particularly well known.

Wildlife

In addition to its monster, Loch Ness is home to a wide variety of wildlife. On the loch itself you may see Black Throated Divers or Otters, both also seen on many of the smaller lochs, as are Red Throated Divers or the rarer Slavonian Grebe. Many of the lower slopes are covered by woodland which is home to Red Squirrel and Pine Marten while the birdlife here includes the unique Scottish Crossbill found in Caledonian Pine forests such as in Glen Affric. Also unique to these forests is the Chickweed Wintergreen that flowers in spring as do the Primroses and Bluebells that are particularly common on the south side of the loch. On the more open higher slopes Red Deer and Mountain Hare are a common sight as are birds of prey including Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Osprey or, if you are lucky, Golden Eagle.