North Loch Ness and Aldourie

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Lake · Views

Located about 15 minutes driving from downtown Inverness, the loop starts by the beach where there are coffee and craft shops and then winds around along the water for about 1.7 miles before making a sharp turn and cutting back inland and returning through the forest.

Parking is free next to an old church. Follow the blue P signs for the parking. For the first quarter mile, hike along the side hike and then cut over to the beach to join up with the trail. Note that the beach and doubletrack trail run parallel for the first third of a mile or so. The beach is quite rocky so hiking along the trail is more comfortable although the water views looking south along Loch Ness are a tad more obscured. The trail gradually bends north and follows the waters edge through the forest going north. At the turnaround point on the north end, a gate blocks most of the path and this is the point where the trail makes a sharp bend back right and gradually up into the forest. There many different types of birds and tree varieties in this forest.