Where to Meet a Highland Cow in Loch Ness

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I met so many cute cows on my trip to Loch Ness, I may never be able to eat a burger again – here’s where you can go, and how to find the best experience for you.

Officially, there are two main cow-related experiences within a short walk or drive from Drumnadochit, the main town for tourists in Loch Ness.

You can book the Highland Coo Experience from the Loch Ness Hub in town and head up into the hills over the Loch to meet the cows at a local farm. Or, head to Quila Cridhe – a working farm and cafe that offers a variety of cow-related fun with a side of cake!

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I tried both on my trip, and in this post, I’ll cover the pros and cons of each so you can decide which is right for you. Plus, I’ll tell you about a secret local spot where you can get pictures of cute cows for free.

Warning – excessive amount of of coo pictures incoming!

Option 1: The Highland Coo Experience

I had not seen this in my research about Loch Ness and it was sheer luck that I ended up being able to do it. 

It all happened when I arrived on the bus from Inverness about 2pm but couldn’t check into my B&B (the very cosy Kilmore Farmhouse) until 4pm.

The Farmhouse had said it was fine to drop my bags, but I was feeling lazy and so, instead of walking 15 minutes down the house, I decided instead to pay for the luggage storage in town at the Loch Ness Hub and explore town instead.

Once in the hub I saw the magic words ‘book Highland Coo Experiences here’ – I was handing over my money before you could say ‘moo.’

The price of £18 includes the cow encounter and transport by mini-bus to and from the farm. This is located on top of the hill with a beautiful view of Loch Ness.

One thing that had surprised me about Drumnadochit was that you can’t see the loch from the main town, so this was my first chance to see it properly.

It’s stunning – and with the view of cute cows in the foreground it was even better.

The afternoon of my experience, there were at least six big cows waiting to meet us, and the adorable nine-day-old twins Lottie and Lachlan.

The farm is a working croft – something farmer Ian described as ‘too big for a hobby, too small to make a living’ and, the Cow Experience pays for the food that keeps the cows fed over the often harsh winter. 

It also gives them a hefty portion of today’s dinner! Giant buckets of carrots were produced and we got the chance to feed and pet as many cows as wanted the attention – which was most of them.

Sometimes the cows are too fat and happy to want more carrots from the last visitors of the day, but while a few hung back, we got to play with most of them.

There were five other people on my tour – and the groups are intentionally kept small so everyone has time with a cow. 

It’s obvious that Ian loves the herd – we learned all their names and a bit about them and the family farm.

He was especially proud of the twins who were happily suckling on mum – and later gave as all the ultimate cute experience by frolicking around the field while being gently led away by her to get out of the rain.

For most of our visit we had bright blue sky, but, in true farmer style, shortly before the end of our visit Ian suddenly appeared with some very cute ‘coo’ umbrellas. ‘Rain’s coming’ he said – and sure enough a few minutes later all of the umbrellas went up!

Should you feel the need for cow-printed things in your life, there is cow merch for sale up here, but bring cash as the card machine doesn’t work in the field!

I loved this experience – not just for meeting the cows but I also felt that I was contributing to a real local business and helping keep them going during trying times.

If you’ve watched Clarkson’s Farm you’ll know how much farmers in the UK, big and small, are struggling and it was nice to think that when the coos are all tucked up this winter, I’ll be helping provide a little bit of their breakfast.

The Facts

How Much Does the Experience Cost: £18 – there is also a small booking fee if you book in advance.

Do You Need to Book in Advance: Yes. I got very lucky with my last minute slot. All of the experiences the next day were booked, so best to book to avoid disappointment, especially in high season. Make a booking here.

How Long Does It Last: About an hour – including a short mini bus ride to and from the farm. We spent about 45 minutes actually feeding the cows.

Pros: It feels like you’re visiting a proper farm. Relatively easy to book. Lots of opportunities to ask questions and learn about the cows. Great photo opportunities. Didn’t feel rushed, or crowded. 

Cons: It costs a bit more than the other experience I tried, but I did feel it was worth it. The set timetable does mean you can’t just turn up.

How to Get There: Easy. You are driven by minibus from the Loch Ness Hub which is in the centre of Drumnadrochit.

Option 2. Quila Cridhe Tearoom

It’s 2 am and I am attempting to book an appointment with a cow.

I had been awoken by frantic beeping from my phone… ‘The slot you have requested is available,’ came the message in the middle of the night – but, despite the ungodly hour, someone else beat me to one of the coveted slots on the £20 Coo Lovers Experience at the Quila Cridhe Tearoom.

This would have given me the chance to meet the cows early in the morning in a small group. For an extra £13 I could also try the VIC Experience which gives you the chance to feed and groom the cows. Snagging a spot on one of these is like trying to snag Taylor Swift tickets.

For the next four weeks I keep hoping for another cancellation, but no dice, so, on my second morning in Loch Ness, I make my way up to the Tea Room hoping that I’ll be able to get into one of the walk in experiences they offer.

I needn’t have worried. There’s plenty of room for everyone!

Like Ian’s croft, Quila Cridhe is part of a working cow farm on the hills overlooking Loch Ness. Most of their cows are kept in the fields but a select handful come out each day to a pen behind the small tearoom to meet the people and enjoy some snacks of bread, apple and carrots.

I arrived at 11.20 am to find just two people in the queue in front of me and a minibus full of people leaving.

This surprised me as considering how hard it is to make a booking for the longer experiences, I thought they might limit walk ins. I was expecting to have to queue for a while, or, even get turned away, but I was inside in minutes.

Upon paying my fiver, I was handed a small cup of bread, apples and carrots and pointed toward the coos.

There were six cows waiting to meet us – although, the biggest two commanded almost all of everyone’s attention.

Not least as they also have massive horns which means if they’re coming toward you, you need to get out of the way… and as soon as they see you petting one of the other smaller cows they’re coming towards you!

The smaller ones do have the better hair though!

It’s busy down there, but also spacious so you can always find a cow to feed – and photograph.

Although the day I was there, the BBC were there doing an interview with the farm’s owner so it might get even busier soon.

There was a member of staff you could ask questions of, but generally, this experience is so you can feed the cows, pet them and get all the social media photos your Instagram feed desires – I took about 60 pics – most of them like this one!.

When you’ve finished feeding the cows, there is a hand washing station, and if you’re hungry, you can stop off for lunch or snacks at the cafe itself. I couldn’t resist a hairy coo cupcake for £3 – they also sell cow merch.

I think in the time I was there over 50 people came in to feed the cows – but as I said, there does always seem to be enough space and you don’t feel rushed. 

As I was leaving though there was a big queue of people trying to visit. This was about noon and my feeling is lots of people decide to combine lunch with feeding the cows.

Particularly as, when I went past the farm later that day after a boat trip, the crowds did seem to have thinned so if you want to come when crowds are smaller come outside of meal times.

The Facts

How Much Does it Cost: There are variety of options ranging from £5 to £65 for a Picnic With the Cows Experience. See their website for exact details. I had read to bring cash to pay the £5, but while they prefer cash, you can pay by card.

Do You Need to Book in Advance: For the most expensive experiences yes – and it’s really hard to get a slot. but you can just turn up for the £5 visit. Check the cafe’s opening hours as they vary by season.

How Long Does it Last: You can spend as long as you wanted with the cows, but the £5 pot of food lasted about 10 minutes. If that’s not long enough, you can always just buy another one.

Pros: It’s very cheap. For the feeding experience, you don’t need to book a time, so it can work with your schedule. You can walk there from town. 

Cons: It could get very busy. There’s no real opportunity to learn about the cows. 

How to Get There: You can drive, they have parking, but I walked from town in a little under 20 minutes. I was a bit worried I might run out of pavement halfway and as it’s a busy road, this would have meant I’d have had to turn round, but it’s okay, you can walk safely the whole way.

Option 3: The Secret Local Spot

‘There’s coos by the Shinty Pitch,’ said the nice lady I was discussing gin with at Scotland’s smallest gin distillery.

It sounded a bit like a phrase spies would use to identify each other on a park bench but thankfully, I had gone past something called The Shinty Pitch on the bus earlier so I knew this was actually a sports field slightly south of the main attractions in Drumnadrotich.

However, I didn’t actually get to see the cute critters until a few days later when I took a tour up to the Isle of Skye from Inverness.

Our driver Willie was a bit of a maverick;  born and bred in Inverness he had a few local things he liked to add to the published itinerary – and the Shinty Pitch coos were one of them. 

We pulled our to find two very cute cows standing in the field, ‘call them, they’ll come over,’ said Willie. What he didn’t do was tell us what to call; cue a bus load of tourists from four different countries trying variations of ‘here cow’, ‘mooo’ and various whistles.

Eventually though something worked and both cows came over for head scratches. It was magical end to a brilliant tour.

The Facts

Cost: Absolutely free

Do You Need to Book in Advance: No. This is an informal encounter

How Long Does it Last? As long (or as short) as the cows decide

Pros: Totally free. You might have the coos to yourself.

Cons: You shouldn’t feed them so it’s not as interactive as the other encounters. They might not be there as this is not a tourist attraction.

How to Get There: If you’re not brought as a surprise by a tour bus, the field is about a 10 minute walk from the centre of Drumnadrochit. Head toward Pitkerrald Road, take the first left. The cows are in the field on your left.

I admit, when I booked my trip to Loch Ness, my plan was to see a big green monster not 15 cute cows. Sadly, said monster did not get the memo but the cows more than made up for it!