A fairly large freshwater lake, Loch Ness is located 37 km west of Inverness. It was formed in the Great Glen geological fault, is part of the Caledonian Channel, which connects the eastern and western sea coasts of Scotland. Most of the lakes in this part of the country are of glacial origin, Loch Ness is no exception. The water in the lake is cloudy and has a specific shade due to the high content of peat in the bottom soil.
The lake is the second largest in Scotland, and the largest in terms of water volume. The local scenery is nothing outstanding, but the views of the mountains and the ruins of Urquhart Castle make them picturesque in their own way. In calm weather, the lake is practically motionless, it was here that an attempt was made to set the world speed record on water. Unfortunately, the attempt ended tragically and now on the shore of the lake stands a monument to John Cobb, who died on a jet-powered scooter while attempting to break the previous record.
Loch Ness is one of the most visited attractions. The reason for the popularity of Loch Ness lies in the numerous legends associated with a huge monster that supposedly lives in the lake.
LEGENDS OF LOCH NESS
In the spring of 1933, journalist Alex Campbell published an article in the press about how John McKay and his wife, standing on the shore, watched a strange animal sticking out of the water. The journalist called the animal a monster for some reason. It all started with this. Alex Campbell himself began to spend a lot of time on the shore of the lake, and allegedly more than once observed a strange inhabitant of the lake. Besides him, there were many eyewitnesses.
Various eyewitness accounts allowed us to create a "portrait" of this mysterious creature.
It turned out that the "Lochnesian monster" has a body more than 6 meters long, a three-meter neck with a small head, three humps and a skin color that varies from light gray to dark brown.
It is interesting that some eyewitnesses were able to present photographs, and the Kodak company confirmed the authenticity of the negatives. The monster received the affectionate nickname of Nessie and became the object of interest of professionals, who along and across began to furrow the lake in search of confirmation of Nessie's existence. The driving force was not only scientific interest, but also material incentive. Various research methods were used, but none of them gave reliable results.
This does not prevent curious tourists who are eager for miracles to go to Loch Ness and peer into its waters in the hope of seeing a monster or at least its head.
Infrastructure
Due to the popularity of the lake among tourists, the tourist infrastructure began to actively develop here. First of all, there are numerous parking lots on the western shore of the lake, along the A82 road. Anyone can leave their car here and walk along the shore of the lake. The bravest can swim, if the water temperature allows.
The east coast is distinguished by a large number of trails leading to the water itself, but there is no major road here, so there are significantly fewer tourists here. Local public transport is not very suitable for trips to the lake: buses run rarely. It is better to rent a car or use the services of travel companies in Edinburgh or Inverness (you can get here by train from London).
The tour can include not only a bus to the lake, but also a walk on the lake on a yacht, which significantly increases the chances of seeing the Loch Ness monster.
A cruise can also be made from the coastal town of Dochfour or the tourist center in Drumnadrochit - this village is the unofficial capital of the "monster".
According to statistics, about 2 million people come annually to Loch Ness to get a chance to see Nessie with their own eyes. More than 300,000 tourists visit the official Loch Ness Monster Museum in the village of Drumnadrochit. Here you can familiarize yourself with the exposition, which quite fully tells about the history of the research of the lake, about ancient Scottish legends about monsters and dragons. In addition, an information center, several cafes and, of course, a shop where you can buy souvenirs are open for tourists in the village. One way or another, but for the owner of this tourist complex, his simple, but such a popular business brings up to 25 million British pounds annually.
Those interested in objects more authentic than a monster that may live in a lake will be interested in exploring the dilapidated Urquhart Castle, whose surviving buildings date back to the 14th century. This is one of the largest and most famous fortresses in Scotland, which repeatedly passed from one clan to another and was abandoned in the 17th century.
WHERE TO STAY
There are many hotels and motels in the area of the lake, where you can stay with more or less amenities, restaurants and snack bars. Some tourists prefer to stay in their own tents. It is necessary to approach the choice of a place for a tent very carefully: a plot of land may turn out to be private property, and then trouble cannot be avoided.
