A family-run site, Inver Coille comes with all the wonderful gifts that a newly created campsite creates. The tent pitches themselves remain beautifully rustic and unaltered – there are no electrical hook-ups and no lines of static caravans to blight the landscape – while the facilities are all brand new, including a drying room for soggy clothes, showers, toilets and washing up sinks with water filtered from a burn that runs through the campsite. There are also a couple of glamping options: A pre-pitched bell tent and two modern looking geo-domes, each positioned on a flat wooden platform and furnished inside with proper beds.
The small, intimate atmosphere of the campsite suits the tranquil surroundings, with tents pitched on two grassy meadows enclosed by trees. A maximum of 40 pitches ensures everyone has space. Most folks are walkers or cyclists following the routes along the loch shores. The Great Glen way is particularly popular – a 72-mile coast-to-coast route across the highlands that passes just a few hundred metres up the slope from the campsite.
Invermoriston is the nearest village, three miles away, though your better off heading four miles south to Fort Augustus where there’s a little more going on, including an excellent visitors centre, a small museum and the scenic ending to the Caledonian Canal where a series of five locks tumble down into the loch. There are also a few good pubs around and tour operators who can take you out onto the waters to search for Nessie yourself.