A history of The Lovat

The Lovat hotel in Loch Ness is a landmark Victorian building in the centre of Fort Augustus.  If you are looking for historic accommodation with your usual modern homely comforts then rest assured that the Lovat hotel has got just the right balance between all that’s traditional and contemporary for your holiday in the Highlands.

Book your stay at The Lovat today, or call us on 01456 490000.

The Lovat stands on the site of Kilwhimen Barracks, one of four built in 1718.  The west curtain wall of the old fort, 34 metres long by 4 metres high in some places, still stands in the hotel grounds.  The wall is pierced by a central gateway and ten gun embrasures.  The monument is of national importance as the remains of one of the four Hanoverian forts built to pacify the highlanders after the 1715 and 1719 Jacobite uprisings.

The first recorded date of the site being used as a hotel was thought to have been in 1869, when it was a station hotel, known simply as “The Inn”.  However, when the railway was built through Fort Augustus to Spean Bridge, the name changed to “The Lovat Arms and Station Hotel”.  The railway line opened on 22 July 1903 and was closed completely on 31 December 1946.  When the railway closed down, the hotel became “The Lovat Arms Hotel”.

David and Geraldine Gregory of The Torridon acquired the property in June 2005, with their daughter Caroline.  Their valuable hotel knowledge and experience coupled with Caroline’s vibrant entrepreneurial energy, allowed them to propel The Lovat forward as a leading hotel in the Highlands, with an eco-conscious ethos at its core.  Since 2009, David and Geraldine have taken more of a back step from the hotel’s operation with Caroline still present as the Managing Partner.

The Lovat is continually looking to update records and information on the hotel and its history so if you have any further historical information about us, please email Caroline Gregory.