2 Best Sights in Inverness and Around the Great Glen, Scotland

This beautifully atmospheric loch, which starts 3½ miles southeast of Mallaig, is the deepest of all the Scottish lochs (more than 1,000 feet). In fact, the next deepest point is miles out into the Atlantic, beyond the continental shelf. Loch Morar is also said to have a resident monster, Morag, which undoubtedly gets less recognition than its famous cousin, Nessie. Whether that means you have more chance of getting her to appear for a photo, we can't say. You can drive partway along the northern edge of the loch on a small, unnamed side road; to get there, turn off the main A830 road onto the B8008 just south of Morar, then turn right again.

With a greater volume of water than any other British lake, a maximum depth of more than 800 feet, and (perhaps you've heard?) an elusive long-necked monster, Loch Ness is one of this region's biggest draws. Most visitors follow the busy A82 along the western shore to get here, which offers consistently spectacular views of the loch and some interesting sights along the way—most notably, Urquhart Castle and Drumnadrochit. However, a good alternative is the B852 on the eastern shore; the viewpoints are more intermittent but it's a lot quieter and has several worthwhile stops of its own, from the Falls of Foyers to the reedy Loch Tarff. Early travelers who passed this way included General Wade (1673–1748), who, prior to destroying much of Hadrian's Wall in England, came to dig a road up the loch's eastern shore; English lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709–84), who remarked at the time about the poor condition of the population and the squalor of their homes; and travel writer and naturalist Thomas Pennant (1726–98), who noted that the loch kept the locality frost-free in winter. None of these observant early travelers ever made mention of a monster. Clearly, they hadn't read the local guidebooks.