Your eyes will be intrigued and locked into the dark waters below you, wondering what is lurking underneath...
Most have heard of the famous long-necked monster in the Scottish highlands lurking under Loch Ness Lake, some know the creature as "Nessie". The legend says the creature is known to inhabit Loch Ness Lake which is deeper than 800 feet, containing more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. My husband since his childhood days was always intrigued by the mystery and folklore behind the famous Scottish legend. So we packed our backpacks and headed for the Highlands known as the most remote area in the United Kingdom.
We took a day tour from Edinburgh with Haggis Adventures , a very cool tour that breaks down the Scottish roots from Nessie to Whiskey. Our journey to Loch Ness was filled with awesome sites as we passed Ben Nevis, the highest of all mountains in the British Isles, and across miles of stunning views as we got deep into Glen Coe, known as the most scenic glen in the Highlands.
A region with sharp rocky mountains carved out by explosions from an ancient Volcano filled with green hillsides across the northern mountains of Scotland. This region of Scotland is a perfect world for hiking, exploring, whiskey distilleries, and even movie filming which has been featured in scenes from James Bond to Harry Potter films.
After a few hours of touring across the Highlands we arrived at our main destination, the beautiful village of Fort Augustus which lies next to the Caledonian Canal. A cozy, calm and beautiful village that connects to Loch Ness with views leading into the mysterious lake.
You can venture and explore the village and its shops and restaurants running along the canal in only a few hours. You can head over to the canal and take one of the boat tours into Loch Ness for a cruise through the black waters and maybe be one of the lucky ones who spots Nessie! Some tours will include a voucher for an extra fee or you can purchase on arrival.
Unfortunately on our trip out we did not spot Nessie but the mystery and sights are worth the trip. Searching for Nessie is all part of the fun and will leave you intrigued and wondering what is lurking below the lake and boat. The dark soil surrounding the lake appears to be as black as charcoal making the visibility in the water to pretty much zero visibility, making it a perfect home for such a creature.
From huge dead trees that fall into the lake from land slides falling down the steep mountains that sink the trees to the bottom of Loch Ness will over time fill up with gases and rise to the surface, you can't help to think it maybe the creature coming to the surface. In all honesty there are locals who have lived their whole lives next to the lake and have never seen the monster, which tells you how rare sightings are, making it easier to doubt the existence of the legendary Loch Ness monster.
Loch Ness for us was definitely worth the trip. The Loch Ness Lake is just one of many sights to see in Scotland when visiting, but to some it may not be worth the time to head to the lake as you will more than likely never see the creature and its located pretty far out there! Scotland is loaded with other sights and history you may want to see instead, but being a bucket list for my husband, it was a must for us and it was everything he expected being a fan of the legend. For me, who didn't really grow up fond about the legend, I am now a fan and I can say it was worth it for me as well! The beauty of the highlands region alone makes the trip well worth it!