Loch Ness is my favourite place to wild camp, I’ve been returning here for over 30 years now. It never changes and yet each trip is never the same!
I prefer to wild camp at the Dores Beach end of the Loch, it’s a lovely mix of stoney beach and woodland with Loch Ness, itself, being 50 metres away.
Loch Ness Facilities
There is a Tesco supermarket 6 miles from Dores Beach, which is handy for picking up supplies. There are also outdoor toilets and a water tap at the nearby Dores Inn.
The toilets are only open when the Inn is open so they are not available on a Monday & Tuesday and close at 11pm. The tap is available all the time.
The Dores Inn is also excellent for food, using fresh, local ingredients.
Don’t park in the Dores Inn car park, however, as the gate gets closed at night and doesn’t open until the pub opens. Often people get stuck. There is ample on-street parking in Dores itself and the woodland I camp in is then a 500 metre walk from the road.
Things to do at Loch Ness
If you plan to go camping at Loch Ness then it pays to being your own entertainment. Quite often I take my kayak and drone. Loch Ness is 26 miles long and an amazing place to go kayaking. Drone footage of Loch Ness is always amazing.
There is a lot of wildlife at Loch Ness, I’ve photographed many birds and deer in the woodland as well as some interesting insects and fungi. It is lovely to wake up to the sound of the woodland birds and the Loch. The woodland is also nice to walk through following flat, accessible paths.
Urquhart Castle is at the other end of the Loch, which you can tour. There are also boat tours of Loch Ness and The Loch Ness Monster Exhibition.
Bear in mind that it is a 70 mile trip to drive around the Loch, so make sure you have enough fuel (the Tesco has a petrol station).
I tend to wild camp at Dores Beach at least twice a year, it never gets boring and it would be my main recommendation for a first time wild camper. Maybe I’ll see you there one day!
How to get to Dores Beach, Loch Ness
Dores Beach, Loch Ness is approximately 6 miles from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Park in Dores village and follow the well-worn path from the Dores Inn to the woodland.
