Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus is to be found at the southern end of Loch Ness, it is a friendly little town with a wealth of tourist attractions.
The town was originally known as Cille Cummein or Cummein’s church in memory of the Celtic Saint who founded the original settlement. The modern name was imposed after the building of a barracks here in an effort to pacify the highlands in the aftermath of the 1715 Jacobite uprising, this was part of a wider series of military roads and forts which General Wade placed across the north of Scotland.
This one was named after William Augustus, son of George II. He was later to earn the moniker 'Bloody Butcher' due to his brutal treatment of the Highlanders at the battle of Culloden and his systematic destruction of the Clan system and Highland way of life. It was here that he was to make his headquarters and oversee the repression.
The fort itself is now gone and it has been replaced by a Benedictine Abbey, built in 1876. Even the future of the Abbey is hanging in the balance as the monks have had to move out and the building is sitting empty.
Today the main attractions to Fort Augustus are Loch Ness itself and the Caledonian Canal, designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1822 it cuts a swathe right through the Highlands, joining East and West coasts along the Great Glen. Running through the centre of the town are a series of lock gates which the boats use to pass up and down the incline and alongside these is the Clansman Centre - a great living history attraction where you can find out all about life in the Clan times, even getting dressed up in the kilt and swinging a Claymore if the fancy takes you.
In Fort Augustus you can:
- Visit the Clansman Centre
- Watch the boats come down the canal
- Souvenir hunting
Other places that may be of interest:
