1000 Places to See Before You Die 19 - Loch Ness, Scotland



This was another stop on the 2005 Interrail trip. I really hit a lot of good places on that trip! This was my first big trip planned by myself however, so our planning skills were not really fully developed, and we started out just finding places to stay when we got to our destination. Not a good idea! We turned up at the Loch Ness hotspot only to find that the ONLY hostel in the area was fully booked for that night. So we spent a few hours by the lake, taking pictures and desperately trying to plan ahead for the night, having learnt our lesson. We ended up staying in Fort William, a cute little town about an hour and a half’s drive from Loch Ness. 



Loch Ness is of course famous because of Nessie, the reputed sea monster living in the depths of the sea. It was first spotted in 565 AD by St. Columba and has since captured the imagination of every monster-loving person on Earth. The legend of Nessie really took root in the 1930s, when a number of people claimed to have spotted a large animal with a small head, attached to a very long neck. On person described it as a mix between a seal and a plesiosaur, a dinosaur. And indeed, today most believers think that Nessie is a descendant of the plesiosaurs, that has unaccountable survived to this day. 



As for the lake itself it is a freshwater lake or loch 38 km long and about 230 m deep at its deepest point. Due to its great depth it is the largest in volume in the British Isles and contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. Its surface lies 16 m above sea level and it is one of a number of interconnected bodies of water in Scotland. The visibility of the lake is very poor due to the high content of peat in the surrounding soil. Some claim that this poor visibility means that Nessie could be hiding in the murky depths, defying all attempts to discover her. 



If you don’t have the patience to sit around and wait for Nessie to show herself, there are a number of other things in the area you can explore. The village of Foyers on the eastern shore of the lakes boasts two waterfalls and Boleskine House, the home of occultist Aleister Crowley. On the western shore you can find Urquhart Castle, ruins dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Also on the western shore you will find the “Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition” in the village of Drumnadrochit. Here you can delve into the history of the legend of Nessie and enjoy a cruise on the lake in search of the monster yourself.  




As always all facts are from “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz, Wikipedia and my own notes from my diary.


Wikipedia: 



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