Private Car Tour to See Coos, Canals, A Castle & Maybe Nessie!

We will drive to Inverness and then through the city centre to reach Loch Ness. The drive to Inverness will take us along the shore of the Cromarty Firth. It's packed with interest including history and wildlife. We will try and spot some seals on the way, some Red Kites and from April to October we may see an Osprey. We will then cross over the Black Isle, keeping an eye out for sheep and cattle. The fields here produce barley for making whisky. As we approach Inverness we cross over the lovely Kessock Bridge which gives great view of the Moray Firth. Dolphins live here too. We will drive through the centre of Inverness which is the capital of the Highlands. We will cross over the River Ness and then follow the Great Glen to our first stop. It will take around 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach our first stop depending on traffic.

We will make our first stop at An Talla, a lovely visitor centre right beside the Caledonian Canal. Hopefully we will be able to get a good photo of a Heilean Coo or two. These shaggy cows with horns are an iconic Highland sight. The visitor centre has a great takeaway if you fancy a coffee or snack and a lovely gift shop too. An Talla is beside the Caledonian Canal. This huge engineering project joined a series of lochs and enabled boats to travel between the East and West coasts of Scotland. After our visit to this lovely spot we will continue South passing by Dochgarroch Loch before reaching the edge of Loch Ness. We will travel down the Western side of Loch Ness, where Mrs Mackay saw Nessie in 1933. We will spend around 15-20 minutes at An Talla visitor centre. The drive to Drumnadrochit will from An Talla will take around 20 minutes. (You can swop the boat trip for a visit to the fab Loch Ness Visitor centre instead if you prefer - please advise at time of booking)

We arrive at Drumnadrochit where you will join a minibus and head for your boat trip on Loch Ness. The boat trip on Loch Ness is on a smaller boat (max capacity 12 people). This gives plenty of time to ask all those Nessie related questions! This cruise gives a fantastic view of the dramatic Urquhart Castle, which is located on the edge of Loch Ness. The cruise also travels over the deepest part of Loch Ness - where there are the most sightings of Nessie. Just to make sure you don't miss anything the boat has sonar fitted so you can see what's happening underneath your boat! The cost of the cruise is included in your tour price. The cruise itself is 50 minutes and the transfer and boarding takes around 10 minutes. After your cruise we pop down to the centre of the village where you can pick up some Nessie or local gift items. Check out the Irn Bru soap! The boat trip, including the minibus transfer takes around 1 hour 15 minutes. The shopping stop in the village is 20 mins.

We leave Drumnadrochit and head inland, returning to Invergordon via Beauly. This gives us a chance to enjoy some different views and scenery on our return to the ship. If time allows we will travel through Invergordon High Street to give you some suggestions of things to do in any free time in Invergordon port. The journey back to the ship will take around 1 hour. (If you want to include a stop at a distillery we can visit The Singleton distillery on the return journey. You can buy a tasting selection of their whiskies at the bar. This would take an extra 30 minutes. If you want to do this just let me know when you book)