The River Ness is a valuable asset to the Highlands and is a focal point for visitors to Inverness. Settlement, industry and recreation has developed along the banks.
Check out our fun facts on the River Ness
- Abhainn is the Gaelic word for river. ‘Abhainn Nis’ means ‘Mouth of the River Ness’.
- The earliest record of the river’s name is ‘Nesa’, relating to the name of an ancient goddess.
- A Gaelic legend tells of how Loch Ness was formed from an overflowing well under the care of druid, Dàlaidh Mòr.
- The mount of the River Ness was once a delta, that featured sand and gravel banks where people foraged for shellfish.
- One delta channel was called An t- Àban ‘the backwater’. Abban Street runs along its course today.
- The Clachnahagaig stone once marked the upper limit rights of townfolk on the Ness. Now moved, it marks boundaries of the salmon fishing rights.