Fort Augustus Abbey

Fort Augustus Abbey is a monastery complex at the southern end of Loch Ness, featuring Gothic architecture, stone walls, and a prominent clock tower. The buildings remain distinctive features of the landscape, blending religious and military construction styles.

The site began as a military fort in 1729 under General Wade to control the Highlands during the Jacobite period. It was later transformed in the 19th century when Benedictine monks took over the ruins and converted it into a monastery with a boarding school.

The monastery served as an educational center where sons of wealthy families from across Britain received their schooling. Visitors today can still sense the scholarly atmosphere that once filled these halls.

The complex is now a residential building with apartments and direct access to the loch. Visitors should note that parts of the buildings are privately owned, so access may be limited.

The site still bears traces of its original military function, with old fortifications visible beneath the Benedictine structures. This unusual layering of two entirely different historical periods makes the place architecturally distinctive.