Exploring Loch Ness
I recently took a trip to Scotland with my family, and among the incredible castles, stunning scenery, and friendly pubs, we visited Loch Ness!
Photo Credit: Riccardo Speziari, Wikimedia Commons
There were a few reasons we wanted to visit Loch Ness in particular; first, it was close to Inverness, Scotland, where we spent a lot of time on our trip; second, we wanted to visit scenic places while in Scotland; and third, I was fascinated by Nessie as a child. Since Loch Ness was only 20 minutes away from our hotel, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit!
About Loch Ness
The Great Glen in Scotland, where many of these iconic lochs are located, was eroded by glaciers thousands of years ago, “forming a series of deep lakes” (The Geological Society of London). The Glen also runs along a fault line where rocks were weakened millions of years ago.
Loch Ness is not the largest loch in Scotland by surface area, or the deepest; these titles go to Loch Lomond and Loch Moar respectively. However, Loch Ness does contain the largest volume of water in the UK, and in fact, it contains more freshwater than all lakes in England and Wales combined.
Nessie: Fact or Fiction?
Video transcript: “I don't know anything about zoology, biology, geology, geography, marine biology, cryptozoology, evolutionary theory, evolutionary biology, meteorology, limnology, history, herpetology, paleontology, or archaeology… but I think… what if a dinosaur had got in the lake?" (Stewart Lee)
I am aware that there is no definitive proof of the Loch Ness Monster, and that much of the information surrounding Nessie has stemmed from confirmed hoaxes; however, it’s still fun to imagine! And, from what we observed, the Scottish certainly play along with it, allowing tourists to explore, learn, and form their own opinions.
Photo Credit: Hailey Robe
Touring Loch Ness
We took a boat tour onto Loch Ness (the Freedom Tour from Loch Ness by Jacobite), which lasted about two hours, including an hour-long stop to get off the boat and explore nearby Urquhart Castle. During our time on the water, a pre-recorded narrator described the history of the loch, including the geology of the area and formation of Scotland’s lochs, the history of the people of the Scottish Highlands, and, of course, Nessie. This tour was an incredible experience and, while many travel blogs I read ahead of our trip suggested visiting less touristy lochs, I absolutely still recommend visiting Loch Ness!
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