Drumnadrochit, United Kingdom
Drumnadrochit is a town of 1,130 people in Scotland, United Kingdom.
Why visit Drumnadrochit
Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 13 places to eat, 21 places to stay and 6 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Eas Dubh, Falls of Divach, Urquhart Castle and Urquhart Castle Visitor Centre.
Weather in Drumnadrochit
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Drumnadrochit
Drumnadrochit (; Scottish Gaelic: Druim na Drochaid) is a village in the Highland local government council area of Scotland, lying near the west shore of Loch Ness at the foot of Glen Urquhart. The village is close to the villages of Milton to the west, Kilmore to the east and Lewiston to the south. The villages act as a centre for regional tourism beside Loch Ness and a local economic hub for the nearby communities.
From the Wikipedia article Drumnadrochit (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Drumnadrochit on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Drumnadrochit
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Things to do6
Eas Dubh
Waterfall · 2.6 mi
Waterfall on a tributary of Allt Luirg nam Broc near Glen Urquhart, Highland, Scotland, UK
Falls of Divach
Waterfall · 1.7 mi
Waterfall in Scotland, ending in the northern shore of Loch Ness
Museums and landmarks13
Urquhart Castle
Monument and historic site · 1.6 mi
Castle that sits beside Loch Ness
Urquhart Castle Visitor Centre
Museum · 1.5 mi
Visiting centre + ticket office
Urquhart Castle Drive
Bradley Martin Memorial
Monument and historic site
In memory of Bradley Martin, Esq. Balmacaan.
Floral Castle
Monument and historic site
Small scale rendition of Urquhart Castle with stones and plants
1 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes13
Loch Ness Craft Bar & Food Truck
Fast food · Burger, Fish And Chips
Mo-Su 12:30-21:00
1 more on the map.
History
The settlement grew up around a bridge over the River Enrick, and the name Drumnadrochit derives from the Scottish Gaelic Druim na Drochaid, "the ridge of the bridge". The first stone bridge was completed between 1808 and 1811 as part of works led by Thomas Telford. The bridge was extensively damaged by flooding in 1818. It was later widened in 1933 to accommodate the expanded A82 road.
Historically the village was within the local government county of Inverness (until 1975) and the Inverness district of the Highland local government region (from 1975 to 1996).
The Drumnadrochit Hotel is a Category B listed three-storey hotel completed in 1882. Walt Disney stayed at the Drumnadrochit Hotel in early July 1949, when visiting the Highlands with his family, after visiting Edinburgh and Norton Disney in Lincolnshire.
The former Caledonian Bank building is also a prominent structure in the village and was constructed in 1895, although it is no longer a bank.
Established after the First World War, the Glen Urquhart war memorial is located in Drumnadrochit and is in the shape of a column, with a small ceremonial fenced garden.
In 2006, the village hall, originally funded by Bradley Martin of Balmacaan House, celebrated its centenary.
Read more of the history
Much of Glenurquhart was historically part of the Balmacaan Estate (also known as the Glen Urquhart Estate), owned by the Grant family of Seafield between 1509 and 1946. The estate was rented to the wealthy American industrialist and local benefactor Bradley Martin in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and flourished in the 1880s and 1890s, but went into decline after the 1920s. The estate then changed hands so frequently that the issue was raised in parliament. The best forestry wood had been felled during World War 2 and the estate was dissolved in 1946. Balmacaan House, near Drumnadrochit, was abandoned soon afterwards. In 1946, Bunloit Farm was separated from Balmacaan Estate and Bunloit Estate was formed round it near the small settlement of Balbeg, located on the north west shore of Loch Ness, about 4 miles south of Drumnadrochit.
A small strip of the estate's land still exists to this day, mostly north of Balbeg that lies north of Balnain. It is largely publicly accessible and is mostly used for grazing cattle in the summer.
From the History section of Drumnadrochit on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Drumnadrochit
Geography
The village lies in Glen Urquhart on the A82 road to Inverness, near a junction with the A831 and beside the river Enrick. The river Enrick runs the length of Glen Urquhart, meeting the river Coltie and then flowing into Loch Ness (the eastern edge of Drumnadrochit). The nearby local hill and tourist attraction is called Craigmonie. Glen Urquhart itself adjoins Loch Ness and the larger geographical area known as the Great Glen.
Economy
The village is popular with tourists and there are three larger hotels in (or close to) the village, two smaller inns (the Ben Leva Hotel and Fiddler's Rest) and a hostel (the Loch Ness Backpackers Lodge). Attractions include the nearby Urquhart Castle, one of the most visited sites managed by Historic Scotland, and Nessieland, and a "Nessie" themed exhibition about the Loch Ness Monster, the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition for those wanting a more serious interpretation. The village hosts the Glenurquhart Highland Games at the end of August each year. A winter event, "Drums and Rockets", has also taken place in recent years. The community hosts a Bonfire Night fireworks display around 5 November.
Two long-distance hiking routes pass through or start at the village. The Great Glen Way from Fort William to Inverness; and the Affric-Kintail Way begins at the village, passing through Glen Affric and ending at Morvich on the west coast.
Arts and culture
The village's shops include a pharmacy, a Post Office and a supermarket. There are also several restaurants and cafés. There is a doctor's surgery under NHS Scotland and a team of local Community First Responders who cover nights and weekends in serious emergencies.
The Loch Ness Hub is a community owned transport and visitor information centre.
At Urquhart Bay Harbour in Drumnadrochit there is a RNLI inshore lifeboat station. The lifeboat station was established in 2008 to respond to maritime emergencies on Loch Ness.
Balmacaan is an ancient woodland, managed by the Woodland Trust, that overlooks the village. Formerly part of Balmacaan House, the Earl of Grant's estate, the woodland estate is now open to the public.
From the Wikipedia article Drumnadrochit, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Drumnadrochit
- Michael FraserScottish footballer (born 1983)
- Amanda KellyScottish boxer
Born in Drumnadrochit, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay21
Churches and places of worship2
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Healthcare2
Map of Drumnadrochit
66 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Inverness Airport (INV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.
- Inverness 14 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- North Kessock 14 mi northeast, about 23 min by car
- Strathpeffer 17 mi north, about 28 min by car
- Fortrose 21 mi northeast, about 34 min by car
- Newtonmore 23 mi southeast, about 37 min by car
- Evanton 23 mi north, about 38 min by car
- Kingussie 24 mi southeast, about 38 min by car
- Nairn 28 mi northeast, about 45 min by car
- Fort William 43 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Elgin 48 mi northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Drumnadrochit
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Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Urquhart Castle (2499058382), Bert Kaufmann from Roermond, Netherlands, CC BY 2.0
- Drumnadrochit - panoramio - Immanuel Giel (1), Immanuel Giel, CC BY 3.0
- Green castle in Drumnadrochit - panoramio, Immanuel Giel, CC BY 3.0
- Urquhart Castle 5, LornaMCampbell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Glen Urquhart High School, Mx. Granger, CC0
- Drumnadrochit, Benleva Hotel, Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Drumnadrochit, Drumnadrochit Hotel, Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Drumnadrochit, Greenlea, Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Drumnadrochit, Kilmore Parish Church Of Scotland, Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Urquhart Castle 2009-3, Photograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net )., CC BY-SA 4.0
- MG ZS 1.5 (2021) (52101829396), Charles from Port Chester, New York, CC BY 2.0
- Škoda Fabia III 1.0 MPI (2017) (52100799617), Charles from Port Chester, New York, CC BY 2.0
- BMW 1-Series (F40) 118i (2022) (52102071744), Charles from Port Chester, New York, CC BY 2.0
- BMW 1-Series (F40) 118i (2022) (52101861813), Charles from Port Chester, New York, CC BY 2.0
- 1 Lochness Hostel, Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mercedes-Benz SLC 200 (R172, 2020) (52099533536), Charles from Port Chester, New York, CC BY 2.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, rudolfmayer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, kevo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, kevo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jerome_pietri, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, panieravide, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, panieravide, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, toho, CC BY-SA 4.0
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