Loch Ness is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands, extending south-west from Inverness towards Fort Augustus along the Great Glen Fault. It drains northward through Loch Dochfour into the River Ness and forms part of the Caledonian Canal, which connects the Moray Firth on the east coast to Loch Linnhe on the west.
The loch occupies a basin carved by glacial erosion along a geological line of weakness, sharing the Great Glen with Loch Lochy and Loch Oich. It is one of the largest lochs in Scotland and Great Britain, holding the greatest volume of freshwater and ranking second in both depth and surface area. The A82 road runs along its western shore, passing the villages of Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston. Loch Ness takes its name from the River Ness and is widely known for claimed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster — “Nessie”, or Niseag in Scottish Gaelic — a cryptozoological figure that has drawn attention to the region for decades.
