Quest for the Loch Ness Monster

Hi reader,

Today I'm at Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. 

Loch Ness extends for approximately 23 miles southwest of Inverness. It's a body of fresh water with exceptionally low visibility due to the high content of peat in the surrounding soil. By volume, Loch Ness is the biggest loch (lake) in the British Isles. It contains more water than all the lakes in Wales and England combined.

I'm here today in the hope of sighting the legendary beastie purported to dwell within the loch's cold, murky depths, affectionately known as Nessie. 

Although sightings of the monster go back as far as the sixth century AD, it was an article published in The Inverness Courier on the 2nd of May 1933 that attracted worldwide attention.

Visiting Loch Ness is a childhood dream realized for me. As a kid, I loved the 1980 TV series, Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. Arthur C. Clarke is probably best known for his brilliant novel 2001: A Space Odyssey. Week by week, the TV show examined unexplained phenomenon from around the world, including Bigfoot, UFOs and, of course, The Loch Ness Monster. I was fascinated by books and TV shows about that kind of thing.

I also remember that the Loch Ness Monster was sometimes the topic of stories on kids' news TV show, John Craven's Newsround. It seemed like there was often a report about some team of scientists heading to Loch Ness with sonar equipment, determined to find or disprove the monster once and for all.

I decided a high vantage point would be my best chance of spotting Nessie, so I pulled on my hiking boots and set out for the nearby Craigmonie viewpoint. Along the way, I passed this awesome garden full of robots made from scrap items.

And I spotted a cute Robin, my favourite British garden bird.

Just inside the Craigmonie woods, I found this treat: a giant redwood tree. I've long dreamed of visiting the Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco to see the giant redwood forest, and it was amazing to find this one here in Scotland. 

There's a lovely walk through Craigmonie Wood to get to the viewpoint. I was following in the footsteps of the Viking Prince Monie, who retreated with his men to this hilltop, pursued by the native Scots.

Walking along paths like this always makes me feel like I'm in a Tolkien book.

Ooh! Rope swing. 

You're never too old for a go on a rope swing.

And here's the amazing view from the top. There's a wooden bench, so you can relax and take in the view until you're ready to walk back down.

The weather had been lovely all morning, but it started to turn cold and grey around 2pm. That misty effect you can see over the waters of Loch Ness is sheets of rain blowing sideways.

I met this friendly sheep on the way back to the van.

Now here's an amazing coincidence. I was cooking myself some pasta in the back of my van in the Drumnadrochit car park ...

... and this gentleman approached me. 

"Excuse me, are you the chap I met in Dumfries with a leaky roof?"

It was Mick! This is the guy I met in Dumfries when the rain was leaking in through my air vent. He tipped me off about Sandersons Auto Repairs in Beeswing, where I met Davey and Lee and got the leak fixed. Reunited a month later! Small world, eh?

So I didn't get to meet Nessie on this visit to Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness, but it's really a lovely place to visit with enjoyable walks and amazing views. Maybe next time ...

From here, I'm headed further south to Aviemore. Join me next time.

Thanks for reading,

Brian