Fort Augustus

Fort Augustus is a small but lovely village at the southern end of Loch Ness. There are, in fact, two forts in Fort Augustus. The larger and more famous of the two stood on the site of St Benedict's Abbey (now luxury apartments); this was Fort Augustus. The second, less well known but older fort stood on what is the site of the Lovat Hotel. The fort was constructed in 1718 and known as Kilwhimin Fort (Kilwhimin was the old name of the village) and was deemed to be too small and too far away from Loch Ness so the second and larger fort was begun in 1727. During the Uprising of 1745, the Jacobites captured Kilwhimin and from here bombarded the larger Fort Augustus. Tip: Cherry Island (see that listing) is about 18 miles north of Fort Augustus. Tip: Great boat trips on Loch Ness from Fort Augustus, but between 12pm and 3pm, coach tour groups descend on this village from all over Scotland, so outside these hours is the best time to visit.