Advice needed on a trip to Scotland please... help.

[Ruthiebabes]

We are planning to stay with friends in Edinburgh over May half term next year.

We are hoping to spend a couple of days near Loch Ness (as my boys aged 8 and 5 are so keen to spot the monster!!)

Where would a good base for a few days near Loch Ness? we will have a car to trip around.

Any good tips for family friendly hotels/ b&bs??

I have found a couple of b&bs in Fort Augustus, would that be a good base?

Any mumsnetters advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Maybe Fort William? There are loads of B&Bs there and the town is small but pretty and has nice places to eat (also has a cinema, so good for wet days!)

Fort William is at the other end of the Caledonian Canal. Fort Augustus is actually at the end of Loch Ness itself.

I can't recommend any accommodation as I was staying on a boat when I was there. We ended up staying in Fort Augustus for a couple of days because we grounded the boat and broke the propeller twice!

Fort Augustus would be a good base, but I would probably consider Inverness as it's a faster road to get up there (A9) and you will have a bit more flexibility in directions for other trips (spotting real dolphins on the Black Isle is infinitely more fun than trying to pretend a floating log is a monster)