Loch Ness South Shore Military Road — Fort Augustus to Dores via General Wade’s B862

While every tourist bus crawls up the A82 on the north shore, the B862 on the south side of Loch Ness sits largely ignored — and that’s exactly why you want it. Built by General Wade’s soldiers in the 1700s to pacify the Highlands after Culloden, this single-track road runs 25 miles from Fort Augustus northeast to Dores, climbing high above the loch through open moorland before dropping back to the waterline. The pavement exists, but barely — broken edges, tight passing places, blind crests, and sections of embedded rock mean it demands your full attention. The Foyers waterfall turnoff is worth every minute, and the ridge section above Torness gives you sweeping views over Loch Ness that the tourist postcard crowd will never see.

Honest assessment: this is a scenic drive and high-clearance route rather than a hardcore technical trail, but its narrowness, surface condition, and isolation give it real bite in poor weather. A stock 4WD handles it fine in summer, but the ridge section becomes treacherous when frost or black ice hits from October onward. No permits needed. Fuel in Fort Augustus before you leave — there’s nothing reliable until Inverness. Cell service disappears on the high sections. Best driven May through September. What you get: genuine Highland solitude on one of Scotland’s most historically loaded roads.