For new visitors, Loch Ness is one of the most anticipated sites in Scotland.
Best known for sightings of the famous Loch Ness Monster- affectionately known as “Nessie”, this loch has captured the attention of visitors from all over the world.
Loch Ness is located just outside of Inverness. In fact, both the town and the Loch are named after the River Ness- they’re basically siblings.
Before visiting, I’d always wondered how sightings of Nessie could be so disputed. Either she’s in there or she’s not, right?
As it turns out, Loch Ness is 22.5 miles long, 1.7 miles wide, and 774.6 feet deep at its maximum. That makes for an incredible large area! For reference, Loch Ness contains more water than all of the lakes in England and Wales combined.
Additionally, Loch Ness has an exceptionally high peat content its surrounding soil, which makes water visibility extremely low.
Having stuck my hand into the Loch up to my elbow and lost sight of my fingers, I gained a better understanding of how Nessie’s existence could be so disputed for so many years.
Cruises of Loch Ness are a popular activity along the water- join The Loch Ness Project on their vessel Deepscan and search the loch yourself using their on-board sonar equipment!
Even without a Nessie sighting, you’ll be sure to have a lovely day on the water and a beautiful view of Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness itself.
Although the Loch stretches out for miles along the countryside, with nine villages neighboring the shoreline, the Western side is most popular due to its proximity to Urquhart Castle and two Loch Ness themed exhibits.
The Loch Ness Exhibition Center is worth a visit.
Currently, the exhibition center takes you on a guided tour through the history of the area and the local folklore that gave rise to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.
They try to be fairly clear about the likelihood of such a creature existing in in the loch, but make sure to leave you room to come to your own conclusions about Nessie’s existence.
This visit should take about an hour to experience.
Now if you’re looking for something slightly more kitschy, make sure to check out Nessieland! These exhibitions are located right next to each other and I like to imagine them as mortal rivals.
While the Loch Ness Center takes a more scientific approach, Nessieland offers you a walk through the underwater caves of Loch Ness, complete with Nessie photographs, film footage, and sculptures to complete the experience.
There is also a coffee shop and an extensive gift shop (my personal favorite was a plushie Loch Ness Monster in a kilt), but most importantly, there is an enormous model of Nessie that you can actually sit on.
Aside from a cruise of the loch, visiting Loch Ness doesn’t typically take all too long- unless you really have your eyes peeled for Nessie. It’s easy to fold this visit into a longer day trip of Scotland, especially from Inverness!
Leave a Reply