Loch Ness from Glasgow: Is the Long Day Trip Worth It?
4 min read
It is worth it if Glasgow is your base and you have one day for the Highlands, and not if Loch Ness is the only thing you want. One operator’s booking page puts it plainly: over 300 miles (500 km) in 12 hours. The Loch Ness, Glencoe and Highlands tour at €69.92 per person, rated 4.6/5 from 2,117 reviews, is the one most people should start with.
The three tours
| Tour | Operator | Hours | From, per person | Rating | Reviews | Cruise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands | Timberbush | 11.5 | €69.92 | 4.6/5 | 2,117 | optional, extra fee |
| Loch Ness, Glencoe and Highlands with Cruise | Rabbie’s | 12 | €99.56 | 4.8/5 | 1,844 | 50 minutes, in the tour |
| Loch Ness, Glencoe and Scottish Highlands | Highland Explorer | 11 to 12 | €90.84 | 4.7/5 | 368 | optional, extra fee |
What the day looks like
All three go north past Loch Lomond to Glencoe and on to Loch Ness, with Fort Augustus as the usual stop on the shore. The way back runs through Pitlochry. Timberbush leaves from 19 Killermont Street and lists coffee at Inveruglas, Glencoe as a photo stop, lunch in Fort William and free time at Fort Augustus, with a 1-hour optional cruise. Rabbie’s leaves from Buchanan Bus Station (Stance 23), travels in a 16-seat mini coach and returns at about 7:15 pm. Highland Explorer leaves from Buchanan Street Bus Station and lists 110 minutes at Loch Ness.
Plan the numbers honestly. Timberbush’s itinerary shows a 1-hour drive to the first stop and 1.5 hours of coach back from the last, although the notes on the same page put the first stop about 1.5 hours out and say there is no toilet on the bus; Highland Explorer lists the tour at 11 hours but says the day covers over 300 miles in 12 hours and asks you to allow at least 3 hours for onward plans. Glencoe is a photo stop of 15 to 30 minutes on the two itineraries that give a length. You see a great deal from the window and walk very little.
The cruise question
Rabbie’s puts a 50-minute Loch Ness cruise in the price, and warns that it is weather dependent and may be cancelled without notice. The other two sell the cruise as an extra. Highland Explorer says that in extreme weather the cruise is refunded if you bought it. Find out what the cruise costs before you compare the base prices, because the headline fares are not like for like.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who wants to see Loch Ness itself for longer. Inverness is the closer base for that.
- Children under 5 on the Rabbie’s and Highland Explorer tours (Timberbush: under 4).
- Wheelchair users. Timberbush lists them as not suitable but allows collapsible lightweight wheelchairs with removable wheels when someone helps with boarding. Highland Explorer excludes non-folding wheelchairs. Confirm with the operator.
If a day in the Highlands is the goal, compare with the Oban and Glenfinnan tours and browse Highlands and Loch Ness tours or day trips from Glasgow.
Our pick: the Timberbush tour if you may skip the cruise, the Rabbie’s tour if the cruise is the point.
