The Highland Club Loch Ness Review | Unique Luxury Stay in Scotland
The Highland Club Loch Ness Review | Unique Luxury Stay in Scotland
Nov 2025 | By Pete
The Highlands in autumn is a riot of colour, with trees burning bright in yellows and gold, Loch Ness reflects like a mirrored pool, gently rippling in the light breeze. The spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands holds a special place in our hearts, and we will return, year upon year and still marvel at its breathtaking beauty. Having stayed in some incredible spots all over the wilds of Scotland in our camper van, this was our first historical site we got to call home for the week.
The Highland Club offered us a magical experience
The Highland Club is situated on the southern tip on the banks of Loch Ness, close to Fort Augustus. The site is steeped in history, and walking around the grounds and old stone Abbey you can certainly feel a sense of stepping back in time.
The Abbey was originally constructed in 1742, built as a strategic Fort for the British army following the first Jacobite uprising. Sometime after the defeat of the clans at the battle of Culloden, the Fort was later converted to a Benedictine monastery. And in 1872, the Fort Augustus Abbey School housed boarding students and Monks, until its final closing in 1998.
The Abbey had failed to maintain the building and much restoration was needed. Eventually, The Highland Club opened as serviced apartments in 2012. Preserving the Abbey’s character and original features of the Grade A listed building, each apartment showcases its own unique interior charms of stone columns, stained glass and arched windows.
Arriving after dusk, check in was an easy process and we were guided by friendly staff through an arched doorway, and shown to our apartment via the expansive church atrium and atmospheric covered cloisters.
Our apartment was spacious and inviting, with plenty of original character and tasteful decor, we settled in for the night with a glass of complimentary wine.
Our self-serviced apartment offered everything we could need for a comfortable stay. Whether you are inclined to cook every night or not, the kitchen is fully equipped to handle any culinary pursuit.
The welcome hamper provided a wide range of regional treats and handy quality products, like pasta, oatcakes and cereals.
If you are in need of extra supplies, a small local supermarket, is a short walk from the entrance to the Abbey.
Our open plan living room felt like a home away from home. It was an excellent base to relax after a day of exploring, always warm and cosy, and incredibly quiet at night.
Apartments are provided with pool towels and an easy booking system ensured we got to book a late afternoon relaxing session in the sauna and heated pool.
If you are looking for other activities within the grounds, a range of indoor and outdoor sports are on offer. From tennis, snooker, badminton and table tennis, to archery, fishing, giant chess and even an indoor sports simulator. There is an activity on offer for everyone.
The Boathouse restaurant on-site, provides plenty of delicious choices for lunch and dinner. And in the village outside of the grounds, you can find pubs, restaurants and take-away options too.
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We took the first morning as an opportunity to explore the Abbey and its grounds. Bright morning light flooded the corridors of the central cloisters, it was a photographers dream. Shadows and sunbeams cast patterns across the cold tiled walkway and an eerie sense of the past echoed through the architecture.
Outside the winds shook the trees, scattering falling leaves through the air, we took the stairs down to the shore of the loch, turning to take in the towering stone facade.
The Abbey’s origins as a 18th century Fort and central hub of British military presence in the Highlands, marks its place in history as an important part of The Jacobite uprisings, which are an integral part of the Highland story.
The rest of our stay we were particularly fortunate with bright, crisp days, a day out to nearby Castle Urquart, meant we could explore the ruins and take in the history of the local area. Although a ruin, the castle is an excellent example of how life would have looked for the castles inhabitants as well as the local population that served it.
At the north of Loch Ness lies the fateful site of Culloden, the final site of battle between the Scottish Clans and The British Militia. The battlefield and museum is a must see, with detailed accounts of the Scots clans and British military movements as well as interesting artefacts found after the battle displayed in the museum. Each part of the museum highlights a blow by blow account on both sides, and is an interesting and informative retelling of that fateful day.
Time seemed to stand still during our stay at The Highland Club. Whether it was because we were staying in a piece of preserved history, or because we immersed ourselves in the surrounding nature, we were beyond relaxed and fully recharged, ready for our journey further north.
The Highland Club
