Woof up furiends!
Looking for a dog-friendly cottage escape, a pawventure with woodland, countryside and seaside all rolled into one? Then look no further than my family’s ancestral homeland – the Highlands of Scotland, and specifically, a hidden cottage right on the shores of Loch Ness. Somewhere up there is a clan of Labradors whose tartan we’re fully prepared to adopt, if only we could sniff it out. Ever seen a dog in a kilt? Nope. Neither have we. But you heard it here first.
The pawrents stumbled on this hidden gem a couple of years ago while hunting for somewhere to stay near Inverness. We’d previously based ourselves in the Cairngorms National Park, about 50 minutes south – lovely, but this was something else entirely.
Getting There
We drove up to Loch Ness Escapes, but furiends, you don’t have to. There’s a scenic train route with a short taxi at the end if you fancy watching the Highlands scroll past a window instead of a windscreen. That said, you’ll probably want a car once you’re there – the estate is wonderfully remote, and a set of wheels makes exploring the wider Highlands far easier.
Upper Dunain Cottage, Loch Ness Escapes
The setting is unpawbelievable – genuinely priceless. Upper Dunain Cottage sits on the Dochfour Estate, a historic, privately-owned estate just five minutes from Inverness and right alongside Loch Ness. It’s family run, with a wonderful host, Gigina, plus a housekeeping and caretaking team on site who couldn’t be more welcoming, to both the four-legged guests and the hoomans. Upper Dunain and Balnacraig both have two two rooms and sleep four, but the wider estate has properties ranging up to eight guests if you’re travelling as a bigger pack.
Behind the cottage, the view will stop you in your tracks: Dochfour Hill has steep rocky cliffs and dense woodland trails, winding through Scots pines – pawfect for a proper Highland adventure. Some hoomans speak a funny language up here called Gaelic, and the hill’s actual name is Cnoc na Gaoithe, which translates to ‘Hill of the Wind.’ Very dramatic. Very us.
Adventures start the moment you put a paw out the door. The estate now has seven cottages (seven, furiends – we’re still working our way through a few of them) in the Loch Ness Escapes portfolio, each with its own trails on offer, whether that’s hills, canal banks or loch shores.
Our first visit was all about sniffing out everything within reach. Behind the secure, fully-fenced gardens, we were let off to explore – the pawrents loved this bit, could actually relax, sometimes even in the wood-fired hot tubs (appawrently not doggy pools, who knew). There’s a scenic private woodland path linking a couple of the cottages straight onto the famous Great Glen Way: a 79-mile long-distance trail tracing the dramatic, ancient fault line of lochs and canals from Fort William to Inverness.
Our cottage itself was a two-bedroom bungalow, which meant us four-legged ones had access all areas. It even has a utility room for all our dog luggage, we’re posh paws, we don’t travel light. And a separate entrance to make sure we were clean and dry before trotting round the house – handy, since there’s an outside tap and hose pipe for hosing off muddy paws before you even reach the door. Oh, and that wood-burning stove – pawfect for a post-walk nap.
One thing to note, furiends: dog bowls, towels and beds aren’t provided, so pack your own. Learned that one the hard way.
Chasing Nessie
A short drive away is Dores, a small, picturesque village on the eastern shores of Loch Ness – you can almost see it from the estate. It’s known for its sweeping shingle beach and some of the best unobstructed views of the loch going, which makes it a favourite haunt for Nessie spotters. And that, furiends, is where our dog dad’s fascination with a certain monster first took hold.
But before we get into that, let me tell you about Torr Point Walk, a gentle 4 mile (approx) circular route from Dores beach, through ancient woodland and along the Aldourie shoreline. This place is bark-tacular. Keep your nose to the ground and you might even spot a red squirrel. Between the cold-water plunge pool that is Loch Ness and the ancient wood behind it, I could happily spend the rest of my life right here. Fair warning – it gets busy in summer. It’s home to The Nessie Hunter, and it doesn’t take much to catch the monster-spotting bug.
Balnacraig Farmhouse, Loch Ness Escapes
Since that first stay at Upper Dunain back in 2023, we’ve been back twice, this time to Balnacraig. We’d spotted it from across the valley on our walks and couldn’t resist finding out what we’d been missing. The pawrents rather fancied the upstairs, which, much to my disappointment, dogs weren’t allowed anywhere near. We still had free run of the kitchen – food for a lab is obviously the most impawtant thing – and the sitting room, with its wood-burning stove, for a proper sprawl post-adventure.
The Nessie Hunt Continues
Our dog dad, meanwhile, was on a mission, determined to rediscover the mysteries of Loch Ness, and quietly confident this would finally be the trip we met Nessie herself. We were all in, if I’m honest. Documentaries watched. Theories discussed. Every pawssible reason she might be keeping such a low profile lately, thoroughly debated.
Turns out I’m not just a good boy, I’m also something of a Loch Ness expert now. A few fun facts for you, furiends, while we’re on the subject: Loch Ness has an average depth of 433 feet — around 132 metres, or roughly the height of the London Eye, which equals 220 golden retrievers stacked on top of each other, and stretches 22.5 miles long. It holds more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. So really, Nessie could be hiding anywhere.
Looking for new places she might be hanging out, we tried an alternative way into the loch: Loch End, a tranquil little settlement at the start of the Caledonian Canal, right at the head of Loch Ness, just minutes from the cottages and the pawfect spot for a freshwater dip. It’s not built for visitors, and it’s best explored on foot. Only the people in the know, know about it – like us. Fair warning though: the fully-loaded tourist boats that cruise the Ness do pass by now and then. You’re not always as alone as you think.
And here’s the twist, furiends – turns out the real monster sighting of the trip was me. Mid-swim, black head bobbing above the water, dog dad squinting from the shore for a good few seconds before realising it was his own dog and not the beast he’d been hunting all week. Nessie: still missing. Dylan: mistaken for a lake monster. I’ll take it.
Beyond the Cottage & Farmhouse
Other places on the ‘Dylan recommends’ list – that’s my paw-proval, and it isn’t handed out lightly – the Black Isle Brewery (bar and farm). Uber dog-friendly, and the best pizza either of us has tasted, hoomans included. Sadly we weren’t allowed a pint, even though it’s organic. More dog-friendly food finds to come in a separate post.
If you watch This Farming Life like our family (unhealthily obsessed, no shame), you’ll find Farm Ness at the bottom of the hill from the cottages. Farm shop, animal experiences, a play park, and dogs now even get their own bark park. The farm shop alone was meat heaven – the pawfect dog supermarket, if you ask me. I may have had opinions about the sausage selection.
For the beach dogs among us: the beaches up here have been kept a bit of a Highland secret by the locals, and honestly, they’re amazing. Sand, dolphins, rock pools, caves, lighthouses, and a doggy sausage waiting at the end – what’s not to love. More Highland beaches coming soon.
Loch Ness Escape properties are also wonderfully placed for a day trip to the west coast – but that’s a whole other post.
Every pawventure eventually comes to an end, but this one never really feels like goodbye. Each time I leave Dochfour Estate, I know there will be more woodland paths to sniff, more waves to watch across Loch Ness and, perhaps – just perhaps – another chance to spot Nessie. Maybe she’s just a little shy … or maybe she’s waiting for my next visit.
One thing I do know is that this corner of the Highlands now feels like a second home, and I’ll be wagging my tail all the way back when it’s time for another pawventure.
Until then, I’ll be dreaming of cosy evenings by the fire, peaceful morning walks, the damp pine scents beneath the ancient woodland, and seeing all the incredibly friendly Highland people and my four-legged furiends again.
If you’re searching for somewhere both you and your hoomans can truly unwind, I can’t think of a more pawfect place to begin your own Highland adventure. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one who finally spots Nessie!
The Verdict 🐾
Two cottages, two Loch Ness entry points, and still no sign of Nessie – but furiends, that just means there’s an excuse to go back. Between the views, the woodland trails, the log burning tubs and fires, the Dochfour Estate has more than earned its spot as one of our favourite Highland bases yet. Five paws out of five from me, no notes.
Woofability: 5/ 5 tails
And as for the west coast, the beaches, and everything else we’ve teased along the way? That’s a whole other tail. Stay tuned.
Got questions about the estate, the walks, or fancy your own dog mistaken for a mythical creature? Drop a comment below and I’ll get back to you.
Woof for now, Dylan 🐾
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