The rather large freshwater lake Loch Ness is located 37 km west of Inverness. It was formed in the Great Glen geological fault, it is part of the Caledonian Canal, which connects the east and west 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 hue due to the high content of peat in the bottom of the bottom.

The lake is the second largest in Scotland, and the largest in terms of water volume, it is not particularly picturesque, and in truth, it's so unattractive . Vegetation on the shores of the lake is quite scanty and monotonous, the landscape around it does not strike the beauty of the lines . Due to the fact that in a calm weather the lake is practically still, it was here that an attempt was made to set a world water speed record . Unfortunately, the attempt ended and now on the shore of the lake there is a monument to John Cobb, who died on a jet engine scooter while trying to beat the previous record .

Despite all this, the lake is one of the most visited sights. The reason for Loch Ness's popularity lies in the numerous legends associated with the huge monster supposedly living in the lake.

Legends of Loch Ness

In the spring of 1933, journalist Alex Kembell published an article in the press about how John McKay and his wife , standing on the shore, observed a strange animal leaning out of the water. The journalist for some reason called the animal a monster. With this, it all started. Alex Campbell began to spend a lot of time on the shore of the lake, and, allegedly, not once observed an amazing inhabitant of the lake. And, apart from him, there were many eyewitnesses.

The scattered eyewitness accounts made it possible to create a "portrait" of this mysterious being.

It turned out that the Loch Ness monster has a body longer than 6 meters, a three-meter neck with a small head, three hump and color skin, ranging from light gray to dark brown.

It is interesting that some eyewitnesses could present photographs, and Kodak confirmed the authenticity of the negatives. The monster received the affectionate nickname of Nessie and became an object of interest of professionals who along and across began to plow the lake in search of evidence of Nessie's existence. Movable force was not only a scientific interest, but also a material incentive. Various research methods have been used, but none of them has yielded reliable results.

This does not prevent curious tourists, we're hungry, go to Lake Loch Ness and gaze into its waters, hoping to see the pretty face of Nessie over the surface (and what else could they be?) eyes.

Lake Loch Ness

Infrastructure

Due to the popularity of the lake with tourists, the tourist infrastructure began to develop actively. First of all, these are numerous parking lots on the western shore of the lake, along the A82 road. Anyone can leave a car here and take a stroll along the shore of the lake. The boldest can swim if the temperature of the water allows.

The East Coast is distinguished by a large number of paths leading to the water itself, but there is no big road, therefore, tourists here are much less. Local public transport is not very suitable for trips to the lake: buses run rarely. It is better to stop by car rental or use the services of travel companies in Edinburgh or Inverness (here you can get by train from London).

The tour can include not only the bus to the lake, but also a walk on the lake on the yacht, which significantly increases the chances of seeing Loch Ness monster.

Cruise can be made from the coastal town of Dochfour or the tourist center in Drumnadrochit - this village is the unofficial capital of the "monster."

Annually about 2 million curious tourists come to Loch Ness and gaze into its waters, hoping to see nice face of Nessie with cunning (and what they can still be?) eyes.
Mysterious Lake Loch Ness Loch Ness
Mysterious Lake Loch Ness
Loch Ness Loch Ness
Loch Ness
At the Loch Ness water surface Loch Ness
At the water surface of Loch Ness

According to statistics, about 2 million people come annually to Loch Ness Lake in order to get a chance to see Nessie with their own eyes . More than 300 000 tourists visit The official museum of the Loch Ness monster, in the village of Drumnadrochit .Here you can get acquainted with the exposition, which quite fully tells about the history of the lake research, about the old Scottish legends about monsters and dragons .In addition, for tourists in the village there is an information center, several cafes and, of course, a shop where you can buy souvenirs .Anyway, but the owner of this tourist complex is his simple, but such a demanded business brings up to 25 million British pounds annually .

For those who are interested in objects more authentic than the monster that probably lives in the lake, it will be interesting to see the dilapidated Urquhart castle, the surviving buildings of which date back to the 14th century. This is one of the largest and most famous fortresses of Scotland, which repeatedly passed from one clan to another and was abandoned in the 17th century.

Where to stay

In the area of ​​the lake there are quite a few hotels and motels where you can settle with bigger or smaller amenities, restaurants and snack bars. Some tourists prefer to stay in their own tents. It is necessary to carefully approach the choice of a place for a tent: a piece of land can be a private property, and then there is no trouble.