Jacobite, which trades as Loch Ness by Jacobite, runs five trips from three starting points: Clansman Harbour about 4.4 miles north of Drumnadrochit, Dochgarroch Lock 4 miles from Inverness, and Inverness bus station. Trips last 50 minutes to 3.5 hours, two include an hour at Urquhart Castle, and parking at both piers is free.
Jacobite cruises leave from two piers: Clansman Harbour, on the A82 about 4.4 miles north of Drumnadrochit, and Dochgarroch Lock on the Caledonian Canal, 4 miles from Inverness. A third trip starts by coach at Inverness bus station. None leaves from the village. Trips run from 50 minutes to 3.5 hours, and two of them include an hour at Urquhart Castle.
This guide is independent. Jacobite Cruises Ltd, which trades as “Loch Ness by Jacobite”, has no part in it. Facts below come from the operator’s own website and the GetYourGuide listings, both checked in October 2026.
| Trip | Starts from | Length | Urquhart Castle | Departure times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspiration | Clansman Harbour | 50 min | Docks briefly, no landing | Various |
| Freedom | Clansman Harbour | 2 h | 1-hour visit after an hour’s cruise | 10:00, 13:00 |
| Enchantment | Dochgarroch Lock | 50 min | Not on the route described | Various |
| Contemplation | Dochgarroch Lock | 2 h | Views from the water | 9:45, 12:30, 14:45 |
| Temptation | Inverness bus station | 3.5 h | 1-hour visit, coach to Dochgarroch | 9:15, 14:15 |
Checked October 2026. Times change; confirm on jacobite.co.uk before you go.
Jacobite’s own fares differ between sources, so they are not quoted here. Book through the operator, or see the GetYourGuide prices further down.
Clansman Harbour is at the Clansman Hotel at Brackla, on the A82 between Drumnadrochit and Inverness. Jacobite gives the address as Brackla Harbour, IV3 8LA. It is about 4.4 miles north of the village, under 10 minutes by car, and 9 miles from Inverness city centre. The operator says you will need a car or a taxi, though Scottish Citylink’s 917 bus lists a northbound stop outside the Clansman Hotel; check the timetable before relying on it.
Parking is free at the Clansman Hotel. In peak season it fills, so Jacobite asks you to arrive 45 minutes early. If staff send you to the overflow car park, the walk to the harbour takes about 15 minutes over uneven ground. There are no bike racks here.
The GetYourGuide listing for the 50-minute cruise says there are 26 steps down to the boat. Jacobite says its Clansman Harbour cruises are not suitable for wheelchair users or people with restricted mobility.
Two trips sail from Clansman. Inspiration is the 50-minute cruise to Urquhart Castle and back; the boat may dock briefly, but nobody gets off. GetYourGuide sells it as the Urquhart Castle Round-Trip Cruise, from $32 (4.4 from 3,590 reviews). Freedom runs two hours: an hour on the water and an hour at the castle. Dogs can come on Inspiration but not on Freedom, and both trips leave on the same boat.
Dochgarroch Lock is on the canal 4 miles out of Inverness on the A82, postcode IV3 8JG, and about 10 miles from Drumnadrochit by road. Parking is free and shared with An Talla, Jacobite’s sister restaurant. There are free bike racks.
This is the step-free pier. Jacobite says its Dochgarroch cruises suit wheelchair users and people with restricted mobility. The Jacobite Maverick and the Jacobite Rebel each take two wheelchair users, but only the Maverick has a disabled toilet.
Enchantment is a 50-minute run along the canal and onto the loch, past Bona Lighthouse and Aldourie Castle. Contemplation lasts two hours. GetYourGuide sells it as the Loch Ness and Caledonian Canal 2-Hour Cruise, from $39 (4.7 from 2,383 reviews), and says it sails to Urquhart Castle and back with views from the water. For the history of the waterway, see the Caledonian Canal guide.
Temptation is the trip for people without a car. It leaves Inverness bus station on Margaret Street, takes a coach to Dochgarroch Lock, cruises the loch and gives you an hour at Urquhart Castle, 3.5 hours in all.
Jacobite’s pages do not say whether castle entry is in its own price. The GetYourGuide version, From Inverness: Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle, does include it: from $75, 3.5 hours, rated 4.7 from 2,617 reviews. In summer that matters, because castle tickets often sell out online, and Historic Environment Scotland sells none at the gate once they do.
Four listings in our tour data use Jacobite boats:
| Listing | Pier | Length | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loch Ness: Urquhart Castle Round-Trip Cruise | Clansman Harbour | 50 min | $32 |
| Dochgarroch: Loch Ness and Caledonian Canal 2-Hour Cruise | Dochgarroch Lock | 2 h | $39 |
| From Inverness: Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle | Inverness bus station | 3.5 h | $75 |
| From Inverness: Loch Ness Small-Group Day Tour with Cruise (Rabbie’s) | Inverness | 7 h | $109 |
Checked October 2026. The last one is a Rabbie’s minibus day round the loch that includes an hour’s Jacobite cruise and castle entry. Other day tours are in the Loch Ness tours guide and the full tour list.
Jacobite is the operator with the most departure points and the cruise-and-castle trips. The others are smaller or further away.
| Operator | Leaves from | Boat size | Castle | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacobite | Clansman Harbour, Dochgarroch Lock | Not stated | 1-hour visit on Freedom and Temptation | All year, short breaks |
| Loch Ness Cruises | Urquhart Bay, Drumnadrochit | Up to 12 passengers | Passes it | Check with operator |
| The Loch Ness Experience (Deepscan) | Drumnadrochit | Up to 12 guests | Passes it | 2026 season ended 1 November |
| Cruise Loch Ness | Fort Augustus | Not stated | 90-min speedboat goes to it and back | Daily Discovery all year |
Pick Jacobite if you want to land at the castle, if you need step-free boarding (Dochgarroch), or if you are coming from Inverness by bus. Pick one of the two Drumnadrochit boats if you are staying in the village and want a small group of 12 or fewer. Fort Augustus suits the south end of the loch and adds a RIB speedboat trip. Each pier is compared on the Loch Ness cruise page.
It depends on where you are staying and what you want from the castle.
If you are driving down from Inverness, Dochgarroch is the first pier you reach, and Clansman Harbour is about 6 miles further down the same road. Arrive early at Clansman in summer, when the hotel car park fills.
Jacobite says it sails 12 months a year. It does not run on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day, and it closes for one week in January (check the dates for the year you travel). Children under five travel free on cruise and cruise-and-castle trips but still need a ticket. Cancel at least 48 hours ahead for a full refund; with less notice, Jacobite gives no refund. Bring layers; Jacobite notes that temperatures on the loch vary.
3.5 hours
The best-selling half day from Inverness: a guided coach to the loch, a cruise with a sonar watch for Nessie, then an hour inside Urquhart Castle with the entry ticket included.
from$75
Check availability50 minutes
The cheapest and most-reviewed Loch Ness cruise: 50 minutes from Clansman Harbour, a few miles up the A82 from the village, out to the castle for photos from the water, with no landing.
from$32
Check availability2 hours
A longer round trip from Dochgarroch Lock near Inverness, down the Caledonian Canal and along the loch as far as Urquhart Castle before turning back.
from$39
Check availability7 hours
A full lap of Loch Ness by minibus via Dores, the Falls of Foyers, Fort Augustus and Invermoriston, ending with Urquhart Castle entry and an hour-long cruise.
from$109
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
From two piers. Clansman Harbour is at the Clansman Hotel on the A82 at Brackla, about 4.4 miles north of Drumnadrochit and 9 miles from Inverness. Dochgarroch Lock is on the Caledonian Canal, 4 miles from Inverness on the A82. The Temptation trip starts by coach from Inverness bus station on Margaret Street. No Jacobite cruise leaves from Drumnadrochit itself.
Yes, free parking at the Clansman Hotel, but Jacobite says it can be limited in peak season and asks you to arrive 45 minutes before sailing. If the main car park is full, staff may send you to an overflow car park about 15 minutes' walk from the harbour over uneven ground. There are no bike racks at Clansman Harbour; Dochgarroch has free parking and bike racks.
Two trips do. Freedom, from Clansman Harbour, is a two-hour trip with an hour's cruise and an hour at the castle. Temptation adds a coach from Inverness bus station and takes 3.5 hours. The 50-minute Inspiration cruise may dock briefly at the castle, but you cannot get off. Jacobite's own pages do not say whether castle entry is in the price.
Yes, on the cruise-only trips. Jacobite asks you to add the dog at checkout, which is free, and allows up to five dogs per cruise. Dogs cannot join the castle visit on Freedom, but the Inspiration cruise sails at the same time on the same boat and takes dogs. If you are nervous of dogs, note that the operator cannot promise a dog-free sailing.
From Dochgarroch, yes: Jacobite says those cruises suit wheelchair users and people with restricted mobility. The Jacobite Maverick takes two wheelchair users and has a disabled toilet; the Jacobite Rebel takes two but has no disabled toilet. Cruises from Clansman Harbour are not suitable, and landing at Urquhart Castle is not possible for wheelchair users.
Loch Ness cruises leave from four places: Urquhart Bay in Drumnadrochit, Clansman Harbour 4.4 miles north, Dochgarroch Lock near Inverness, and Fort Augustus at the south end.
Urquhart Castle is a ruined castle on a rock above Loch Ness, about 2 miles from Drumnadrochit, run by Historic Environment Scotland.
For most people the best Loch Ness tour is the 3.5-hour cruise and Urquhart Castle trip from Inverness, from $75 on GetYourGuide with castle entry included.
The Caledonian Canal runs about 60 miles from Inverness to Corpach near Fort William, but only 22 miles of it are dug canal; the rest is Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy.