This guide is for you if you are staying in Edinburgh and want Loch Ness and the Highlands without moving hotels. It covers what to settle before you book: the month, whether to go inside Urquhart Castle, what to pack against rain and midges, the travel permit most visitors now need, and whether a twelve-hour day suits everyone in your group.
When to go
There is no dry season to aim for. Highland weather turns from one hour to the next in every month, so the useful questions are about daylight, insects and crowds rather than sunshine.
Urquhart Castle, the one stop with fixed hours, is open daily all year except 25 and 26 December. Its hours follow the season. From April to August it closes in the evening; in September it closes at 6pm, in October at 5pm, and from November to March at 4.30pm. Last entry is an hour before closing. The castle stop on this tour comes late in the morning, inside those hours in every month, but Historic Environment Scotland can change them, so check the official site before you go.
Summer is when the castle is hardest to get into. Its own site warns that tickets often sell out far in advance, especially over the summer months. If going inside matters to you, a July or August date needs a ticket bought early.
Summer is also midge season. These small biting insects are about from late May to early September and are at their worst in July and August, mostly in the early morning and the evening and on still, damp, overcast days. The west is worse than the east: Glencoe is one of the places they gather, while Edinburgh is low-risk. A breeze keeps them down. If you would rather avoid them altogether, April to early May and mid-September onwards are quieter for midges.
How the twelve hours are spent
The loop is around 370 miles, and most of the day is on the road. That is the point of it: the A9 north through Perthshire, the Great Glen along Loch Ness, and Glencoe and Rannoch Moor on the way back. You see the country through the windows as much as from the stops.
You leave your hotel at 07:00. The first break is Pitlochry at about 08:30, which is the time for coffee before the long run north. You reach Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle at about 11:00 and stop for lunch at Fort Augustus, at the southern end of the loch, from midday. The afternoon belongs to the west: Glencoe at about 14:30, Rannoch Moor an hour later, and Edinburgh at around 19:00.
The car is yours for the day, so the plan can move. If the group would rather have longer at Fort Augustus and a shorter stop at Pitlochry, or more photographs in Glencoe, tell your driver in the morning. Remember that every extra half hour at a stop comes off the end of the day or off another stop, because the distance home does not change.
The price covers the vehicle, the driver, fuel and parking. Lunch, the castle and any boat on the loch are paid separately.
Urquhart Castle: inside or from the road
Entrance to the castle is not included, so going in is your choice. If you want to walk through the ruin, three things are worth knowing.
- Buy online, ahead of time. Historic Environment Scotland asks visitors to book online in advance to guarantee entry. The castle car park is limited, and a space is only guaranteed when it is booked online with the tickets. Tell us the time on your ticket when you book the tour, so the morning is planned around it.
- It is steeper than it looks. The visitor centre, shop, café and castle are reached down a steep tarmac ramp. The Grant Tower is climbed by wooden stairs, the Watergate is down a steep flight of steps, and the early castle ruins are up a steep, stepped path. There are benches around the site.
- There is help on site. Two mobility scooters and two wheelchairs are lent on a first come, first served basis, and they cannot be booked. There is an adapted toilet in the visitor centre.
A boat on the loch is the other choice to make. Cruises leave from Fort Augustus and from near Urquhart. They are not part of the price, but if you tell us you want one, we fit it into the day.
On your own, or with a driver
Getting from Edinburgh to Loch Ness on your own is possible. The trouble is the shape of this day. Loch Ness, Glencoe and Rannoch Moor sit on different roads, and a loop that takes in all three, starting and ending in Edinburgh within the same day, is hard to build around timetables. Without a car you would most likely choose one of them.
Driving yourself is the other option, and it is a long day at the wheel on roads that are new to you, with the tiredness landing on the way home across Rannoch Moor. A private driver lets everyone look out of the window. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
If you are staying in Glasgow, we can start there instead, and Glencoe is nearer. Message us and we will plan it.
What to sort out and bring
Check your travel permission first. Most visitors to the UK now need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) or a visa, depending on nationality. Each traveller needs one, including babies and children. Holders of a British or Irish passport do not. Apply through GOV.UK, and be wary of websites that imitate government services and charge more.
- A waterproof jacket, whatever the forecast says, and a warm layer under it.
- Shoes with a grip, for the ramp and steps at Urquhart and wet ground at the viewpoints.
- From late May to early September, midge repellent. Products with DEET or icaridin are the usual choice. Light-coloured long sleeves help too.
- Your castle ticket on your phone, if you have bought one.
- Money or a card for lunch, coffee in Pitlochry and any boat trip.
- Something to read or listen to. There are long stretches between stops.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits anyone with one free day in Edinburgh who wants to see how far the Highlands reach, and who enjoys the drive as much as the places. A family or a group of friends sharing the vehicle gets the most from it.
Think twice in these cases:
- Anyone who dislikes long hours in a vehicle. Twelve hours is a long day, and children feel it most. Bring games and snacks, and plan a quiet day after.
- Limited mobility. The stops themselves are short walks, but Urquhart Castle is all slopes and steps. Tell us when you book, and decide with your driver on the day whether the castle is worth it for you.
- A late night before. A 07:00 start after a late arrival is hard work. Put the tour on your second or third day.
- More than 16 of you. Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us with your numbers.
For a shorter account of the stops themselves, read our article on Loch Ness and the Highlands from Edinburgh in a day.
Questions people ask
Is lunch included?
No. The price covers the vehicle, the driver, fuel and parking. Lunch is at Fort Augustus, and you choose where to eat.
Can we take a boat on the loch?
Yes. Tell us when you book the tour and we fit a cruise into the day. The boat ticket is not part of the price.
What if we need to cancel?
Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. The details are on our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Choose your month with the midges and the castle in mind, buy a castle ticket early if you want one, and pack a waterproof. Then book the Loch Ness and the Highlands private tour from Edinburgh, choose the size of your group, and tell us about a boat trip or a castle time when you do.
