Glasgow to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle: Private day trip

Main attractions

• Loch Ness stretches 37km through the Great Glen fault — a deep, peat-darkened body of water containing more fresh water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined; the loch's depth (230 metres), opacity and sheer scale give it an atmosphere of genuine unease that no amount of monster-themed tourism entirely dispels
• Urquhart Castle occupies a promontory above the loch's narrowest point — a substantial ruined fortress of tower house, gatehouse and great hall destroyed by its own garrison in 1692 to prevent Jacobite use; the Grant Tower gives the most celebrated view of the loch stretching south toward Fort Augustus

What to eat

• The Urquhart Castle visitor centre café is reliable for soup and sandwiches; the Loch Ness Inn at Drumnadrochit is the best sit-down option in the area for traditional Scottish pub food