Travel Scotland
Living the Rural Life in Loch Ness by Janice Hopper Loch Ness is naturally beautiful but there are unexpected farming links along the way. Search out Highland cattle, goats milk treats, farmyard glamping and luxury country hotels. Goat-ally Brilliant En route to our Nessie-friendly accommodation we stopped at the Lyne Mhor Croft. Run by Jane Mason, Lyne Mhor welcomes families (for free) and introduces them to livestock. After all the privations of lockdown Jane wished to encourage little ones to get up close and personal with creatures great and small. Visitors meet rare Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, Texel cross
sheep and a host of fowl, but the highlight are the goats. Jane has twelve Toggenburg cross goats including two that are milked twice a day, and Jane creates goats milk soap on site. The soaps are moulded into delicate, pretty shapes, and as well as looking attractive they’re apparently good for sensitive skin and psoriasis. In terms of produce, a mix of pork, lamb and goat’s meat is available to
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purchase, so stock up on food from a local producer with ridiculously low food miles. Highland Coos Highland cattle are always popular with tourists, and Loch Ness leaves visitors surprisingly spoiled for choice. The first option is setting sail with Loch Ness by Jacobite from their Dochgarroch departure point. Here, three Highland cattle are grazing in the fields, awaiting visiting admirers. The animals were initially borrowed from Jonathan Coats at Cairnurenan on the Black Isle. This year Loch Ness by Jacobite bought the stotts who are just over a year old and sourced in Skye. The plan is to winter them just outside Inverness, and then return the animals to Dochgarroch ready for next season’s visitors. A second option, on the southern side of the loch, is Cameron’s Tea Room and Farm Shop. Not only does it offer local produce and indulgent afternoon teas, there’s also a chance to admire Highland cattle in the fields nearby. It’s well situated for a walk to the scenic Falls of Foyers waterfall. The Camerons also offer holiday accommodation, with a smart barn conversion that sleeps six across three bedrooms, a spacious lounge with an open plan kitchen, and dining area with wood burning stove. It’s dog and family friendly too. A third attraction with Highland coos is Loch Ness
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Glamping and Apartments at Andersen Farmhouse. Run by farming couple, Sonia and Graham, this rural escape offers a converted stables block for families, a ‘Posh Pad’ in the farmhouse including a private patio and fire pit/BBQ, plus six glamping pods called ‘Armadillas’. Glamping pods can vary hugely, but these ones offer a wet room with toilet, shower and wash basin, TV, wifi, private BBQ/fire pit and access to two Finnish BBQ houses. Guests can meet, feed and potentially groom livestock that include Highland cattle, Shetland sheep, and horses, set within ten ares of land. Extras include a games room, table tennis, trampoline, sauna, and continental or cooked breakfasts delivered to the door. Salad from the farm garden and fresh organic meat can also be purchased for a taste of the country. Get Active & Get Sightseeing Loch Ness is part of the natural boundary of the Great Glen and the Caledonian Canal that splits Scotland in two, and the land around this iconic stretch of water has been valued and fought over for centuries. Sites such as Urquhart Castle’s atmospheric ruins demonstrate how armies destroyed great buildings while fighting over territory here. For something more active, equestrian tourists can enjoy a hack from Drummond Farm in Dores. Experienced riders can book rides and lessons, either
