Nessie hunting could be set for a high speed upgrade as Scottish Canals seeks a new business partner to operate an adrenaline-pumping fast boat service from the north of Loch Ness.
Based at Dochgarroch on the outskirts of Inverness, the new business would offer visiting tourists the chance to take to the iconic waters of Loch Ness on board a rigid inflatable boat (RIB), taking in iconic sights such as Urquhart Castle and possibly catching a glimpse of the loch’s most famous (and reclusive) resident – Nessie.
Interested businesses are being urged to contact Scottish Canals for more information, with all formal submissions to be made through the Scottish Government’s procurement portal. It’s hoped the new venture could be taking would-be monster hunters on a high-speed tour of Loch Ness by spring 2018.
We’re always looking to offer our visitors incredible experiences on Scotland’s canals and taking to the waters of Loch Ness at high speed with the wind in your hair and iconic sights all around you certainly lives up to that description.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world take a trip on the loch each year hoping to catch a glimpse of its most reclusive resident. I’d encourage any businesses who think they could help them explore the myths and majesty of the loch – and enjoy some thrills in the process – to get in touch and help us create a fantastic new tourist attraction on its iconic shores.
Loch Ness is famous throughout the world, not only for the monster which is said to inhabit its waters, but as an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is estimated that the Loch Ness Monster or ‘Nessie’ phenomenon is worth more than £60 million to the Scottish economy. Hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to Loch Ness every year hoping to catch a glimpse of the monster.
Britain’s longest inland waterway, the 60-mile Caledonian Canal links Scotland’s east and west coasts via stretches of man-made waterway and lochs Dochfour, Ness, Oich, and Lochy. It was built to provide a shortcut between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Running from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east, the canal carves through an extraordinary range of terrain, from fen to forest and marshland to mountains, as it follows the course of the Great Glen – the rift valley that provides the waterway with much of its breathtaking mountain scenery.
Businesses interested in the commercial opportunity on Loch Ness should submit their proposal via www.publiccontractsscotland.co.uk.