Back in January when I headed up to Inverness for an amazing two days with some other lovely bloggers to stay in the gorgeous Eaglebrae cabins we spent a day exploring the wonders of Loch Ness. I had always wanted to visit Loch Ness so the idea of heading out on a Jacobite cruise on the Loch was right up my street. We were invited to travel on a Jacobite Cruises Loch Ness Freedom Tour which gave us a voyage up the loch to Urquhart Castle where we could explore the castle grounds and listen to the local guide before enjoying the return journey. Although we travelled at the beginning January we were very blessed with the weather as it was dry and bright if just a little bit cold.
I love travelling on a boat as just watching the waves relaxes me, plus I was on the lookout for the mystical Loch Ness monster which was, unfortunately, hiding from me. The Jacobite cruises boat had an open-topped deck as well as an enclosed seating area with a bar that sold all sorts of local treats such as Scottish Tablet and a Highland Hot Chocolate (whisky and Hot Chocolate) that definitely warmed me up on the return journey. You could also buy a range of Nessie souvenirs which were very popular and a decent price. The views from the boat were spectacular and the guide gave us lots of information about how the loch was formed as well as some history of the local area. They also had screens displaying sonar so the kids could watch to see if Nessie passed beneath the boat!
Our visit to Urquhart castle was a pleasant one although fairly short we did get enough time to look all around the castle before it was time to get back on the boat. There was a lovely tour guide who told us all about the history of the castle and explaining what each part of the ruins was but you could also wander around by yourself at your own leisure. The views from the top were amazing.
After our Jacobite cruise we headed to a local restaurant for lunch (where I couldn’t resist some haggis) and then went to visit the Loch Ness exhibition which unfortunately was just closing as we arrived so we will have to save that for another day but it did look like it would be lots of fun for families to visit.
We headed back to Eaglebrae to get ready for an evening in Inverness at the Kingsmills Hotel for some proper Scottish Hospitality.