Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle overlooks Scotland's famed Loch Ness. Explore the castle ruins while keeping an eye out for Nessie.
Visiting Loch Ness has been on my bucket list since I was a kid. It's about a 30 minute drive from Inverness. Along the loch, there are several pullout areas, or laybys, where you can get out and go down to the banks of Loch Ness and have a good look.
There are a few gift shops along the way to stock up on Nessie swag. I've been asked where I got my Nessie shirts - in Loch Ness!
Getting to explore another castle was an added bonus. Urquhart castle has a visitor center, gift shop, and cafe. Though it's a ruin, we stayed far longer than I expected. It's a good thing we didn't take one of those boat cruises that drops you off at the castle for an hour. It's a cool place.
As you make your way down to the castle, you pass by an enormous trebuchet. Can't say I've ever seen one of those before.
It was day 7, on the road and we were starting to slow down. Because we ended up staying at Urquhart so long, we ended up cutting quite a few stops from our days itinerary.
We skipped our next 3 stops: Culloden Viaduct, Clava Carins, Cawdor Castle and went straight on to Elgin Cathedral, which I had deemed unmissable. That was probably a good thing because we ended up staying there for quit awhile too!
On to Elgin Cathedral>>
<<Back to Dunrobin Castle
More Scottish Sites:
I love Edinburgh's medieval Old Town with it's castle looming over the city. It's such a cool city to explore.
Temple Old Kirk is located in Temple Village outside of Edinburgh. This site was the headquarters of the Order of Knights Templar in Scotland.
Medieval Rosslyn Chapel was made famous for being featured in the The Da Vinci Code. It's intricate carvings are associated with many legends and secrets.
Edinburgh's Royal Military Tattoo is an event worthy of your bucket list. It's a unique performance from military bands across the globe and of course bagpipers!
Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh is a haunted graveyard best known for providing inspiration for Harry Potter characters.
St. Cuthbert's cemetery is another one of Edinburgh's cool old cemeteries. The oldest headstone is dated 1606. It has great views of the castle.
Dean Village is a gem worth exploring. Dean Cemetery is a Victorian era graveyard with grand monuments and old trees making it one of my favorite cemeteries.
The gardens of Drummond Castle are spectacular. They were filmed in Outlander as a stand in for the Palace of Versailles.
An unexpected detour on our road trip around Scotland led us to the picturesque village of Killin.
The Clachaig Inn, located in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, was where we spent the first night of our road trip around Scotland. The grounds are stunning. Hagrid's Hut was built across the highway.
Eilean Donan Castle is one of Scotland's most photographed castle. It's been in several films. It's a must stop on the way to Skye.
Visiting the Isle of Skye was on my bucket list. It was everything I wanted it to be. Mossy and magical. So green and lush. Water cascading everywhere. It feels like a fairy place. I'm a fan.
The Isle of Lewis & Harris is home to the ancient Callanish Standing Stones and stunning Caribbean looking beaches.
Dunrobin Castle is picture perfect with it's turrets and elaborate gardens. If you can only visit one castle in your life, make it this one.
Elgin Cathedral, known as the Lantern of the North, is an impressive 800 year old, Medieval ruin. It was once Scotland's second largest cathedral.
Castle Fraser is one of Scotland's largest tower houses. There are numerous furnished rooms accessed by climbing the narrow turret stairs.
I loved Ardoe House Hotel & Spa, so much, it felt like I was staying in a castle. It was so fun! It's almost its own attraction, complete with it's own highland coos.
Dunnottar Castle, is a medieval fortress, perched atop a cliff overlooking the North Sea. Although it's now a ruin, it's location makes it highly photogenic.