We chose the B862 road when leaving Inverness, on the west side of Loch Ness, a terrible road small lanes, bends, curves and dangerous. Our first stop the start of Loch Ness.
We saw glimpses and had a few stops to see Loch Ness between Dores and Floyers . Then the road went inland to the Suidhe viewpoint, a 20 plus min walk uphill seeing others lochs, Loch Knockie and Loch Nan Eun and then on the way down past Loch Tarff .
Caledonia canal
At Fort Augustus the caledonia canal slices through 96 kms of mountains, lochs, and bog connecting one side of Scotland to the other, opened in 1882 and taking 18 years to build Boats rise and fall 32 metres. The canal was designed by Thomas Telford.
There are 5 lochs at Fort Augustus, 8 at Fort William.
The water is very dark as the peat boars stain the water.
Loch Ness
Deeper than the Eiffel tower it is 35 km long and 1:5 km wide.
There is more water in Loch Ness than all the rivers and lochs of Scotland combined.
Its deep is 200 m – 300m with a 180 m average depth. Water temperature is
5 deg all year round and they say 10 mins is max survival.
We spent the afternoon driving up the A82 on the other side of the Loch to Urquhart castle destroyed by the red coats to prevent the Jacobites from using it. We didn’t pay to go in as it is just ruins.
then we stopped at Invermoriston and did a five min each way walk to the falls where there was a stone summer house to look out the windows at the falls. 2 stone bridges in the background.
We stayed overnight at Fort Augustus. The first accommodation smelly so we got changed to another B and B.
We now drive to Isle of Skye. Past Loch Cluanie
and past huge mountains and the inner seas of Scotland.
We stopped for a picture at Eileen Donan castle, which we visited on the way back from the Isle of Syke
and next was the Kyke of Lochalsh and then crossed over the skye bridge to the Isle of Skye.
And average depth of 180m, that’s incredible