FORT AUGUSTUS ABBEY on LOCH NESS

The 1998 Accommodation Facility (now closed)

The abbey is situated in the centre of the Great Glen of Scotland, a geological side-slip fault which runs from the south-west to north-east, almost cutting the Highlands in half. In fact, Thomas gallery1.jpg - 23.4 K Telford, the engineer, used the Great Glen as the means to create the Caledonian Canal, which is still used by fishing vessels taking a short cut between the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

The landscape surrounding the abbey is quite beautiful and there is a great deal snooker1.jpg - 17.9 K to do for anyone interested in walking, mountain-biking, fishing, golfing and many other pursuits. The abbey is also central for the motorist who wishes to use it as a touring base to visit Skye, Inverness, Fort William and other places of interest within a comfortable day's drive.

The abbey had two forms of accommodation, the guest house and the self catering lodge. Remember that the Abbey is no longer open to the public. See Introduction page.

The Abbey Guest House (No longer open See introduction page.)

Accommodation was £13 in 1998.

Breakfast was £4.50 in 1998.

Bed and Breakfast was only £16 (if paid for on arrival, normal price would have been £17.50)

During July and August there was a surcharge on non pre-booked accommodation so it paid to reserve your room at least a week in advance and this became a popular system.

The bedrooms had no private bathrooms, but there were wash basins in every room, and showers and toilets close to each room. The abbey was a large building and there was a quiet sitting room, television lounge, full-size snooker, pool and table-tennis tables. The abbey had a 4-bedded room, 3-bedded room, 15 twins and 14 singles in the main Guest House. It also had a number of conference rooms capable of handling up to 100 (or 200 for a religious conference because the church could be made available too).

The picture shows two of the receptionists from the time when the abbey was open.

The Abbey Self-Catering Lodge (No longer open See Introduction page.)

Accommodation here was from £11 in 1998.

There were self-catering facilities at the lodge or breakfast could have been purchased at the nearby Abbey itself.

The lodge was not open during the winter except for organised groups booked in advance. It was the perfect location for ramblers, rallies and other small groups. We were also able to organise qualified guides. The Lodge was available on an "exclusive use" basis at £190 per day in 1998 including VAT. It was also fully serviced including all linen and towels.

The Abbey Self-Catering Lodge could accommodate 19 people in a single, twins and mini-dorms. There were showers and a coin-operated washing machine. Sleeping sheets were also available for hire by backpackers.

The picture shows the warden standing in front of the Lodge one spring. Today the lodge is the home of Fr Paul Bonnici who became the parish priest when the monastery closed. The building is now also used as the Roman Catholic parish church.