‘I’ve personally never seen her but let me tell you, there’s magic in that place,’ these were the words from my taxi driver as I arrived into Inverness from Edinburgh. He said it in such a way that I swear the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, but that may have been the cool Scottish weather, never mind. Either way, I was in Inverness with one mission – to spot the Loch Ness monster – and according to a lot of locals, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that I’d catch a glimpse of this famous legend.
On the train journey up to Inverness, as stunning rolling hills and smaller lochs tumbled past my window, I felt this excitement at what I might see on the Loch Ness tour I was about to go on. I mean, there have been over 1000 sightings since 1933, so why couldn’t I get a sneaky peek too?
The chatty coach driver/tour guide didn’t laugh me out of town either. He told me of a time a few years ago when he was taking a private tour of American tourists to the loch and all of a sudden the water broke in such a way it couldn’t have just been the wake of a passing boat, as there were no boats around …
There are over 31,000 lochs in Scotland, the tour guide also told me that if called them lakes whilst I was here, he’d throw me into the loch so I’d soon remember! Loch Ness is arguably the most famous one for the myths and secrets it contains. It’s 22.6 miles long and is so deep the Shard could stand full height from the bottom and not break the water. Plenty of room to hide a sea creature then?
After leaving Inverness and making our way through winding woodland roads we rounded a corner and it was as if the lake - sorry, loch -just appeared out of nowhere. The glassy water, framed by fir trees and heather covered rocks, just went on and on. Even if there was no monster lurking in the deep, as views go, it was spectacular.
Sadly, a stop in the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition was a definite low point of the day for me. I’d been expecting interactive exhibitions and interesting displays but although they’d spent a lot of money creating this walk-through tour to understand the many ways in which they’ve tried to find Nessie, I felt like the monotone voice-over (using detailed scientific terms) went straight over my head and took the fun out of it.
So, I was happy to get back in the bus once more, pick up the excitement levels and take a quick drive though picturesque villages up to Urquhart Castle. These jaw-dropping ruins, once home to clans and kings, has one of the best views of the area and was perfect for monster spotting.
Every so often the sun broke through the clouds, highlighting these imposing ruins and shining a sort of torch light over the ripples of the lake. I jumped whenever someone shouted and pointed at the water, convinced I’d get a glimpse of Nessie. Sadly not. It was more likely to be a rogue stick floating past.
However, I hadn’t lost all faith just yet. The last part of the tour was to go on a boat trip and ride the (small) waves of the loch. I was treated to a prime spot as captain Keith let me take the wheel (foolish man, although I didn’t tell him about the many cars I’ve written off – oops). I was soon checking all of the sonar displays, the fancy whizzy buttons and cameras for any sign of company below the boat, but it appeared that we were alone.
Heading out onto the deck with a hot chocolate mixed with whiskey, oh my what a treat for the taste buds that was. I breathed in the Scottish air and looked around the impressive loch. Ok, so I didn’t get to see Nessie, she must have been a little shy, but I did get to spend the whole day indulging my inner child. How often do you let your mind run away with itself and believe in what many would say was the unbelievable? I’d certainly recommend it every now and then. Right, next up I’m off to try and track down the tooth fairy, I’m sure she owes me a couple of quid …
This trip was made possible thanks to Visit Scotland, however, all views are 100% my own. I travelled on a Spirit of Scotland Travelpass, in partnership between ScotRail, Visit Scotland and CalMac, that allows visitors to experience a round trip of Scotland with just one ticket and one fixed price on rail, ferry and coach services #ScotSpirit.
Twitter // Instagram // Facebook
{Psst. There’s still time to enter my competition to celebrate the new look www.notwedordead.com. Click HERE for all the details!}
