A traveller's reflection: 2017 UK Trip: 09 Drumnadrochit, Scotland - The home of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster...

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Thursday, 25 May 2017

2017 UK Trip: 09 Drumnadrochit, Scotland - The home of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster...

"Travel is more than having a destination in mind; it is discovering a place in your heart you've never been before..." - Mark Amend

(Loch Ness Monster expedition team)

Date: 10 May 2017 (Wednesday)

Route: Inverness - Drumnadrochit

Distance: 15 miles (24 min)

Early this morning we drove on A82 towards Drumnadrochit.

Drumnadrochit is a village on the western shore of Loch Ness, a long, narrow lake in the Scottish Highlands that’s supposedly home to the Loch Ness Monster. The Nessieland center celebrates the legendary beast with family-friendly exhibits and loch cruises. Ruined Urquhart Castle overlooks the lake just east of the village center. To the west, wooded Glen Urquhart and Glen Affric offer horse-riding and hiking trails.

(A leisure drive on a quiet country road)

(Drive with care, beware of reindeers)

Loch Ness Lake is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 km southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 16 m above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie". It is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich.

(The Loch Ness lake, home of Nessie)

(Driving alongside Loch Ness Lake)

At the northern end there is the Bona Narrows which opens out into Loch Dochfour, which feeds the River Ness and a further section of canal to Inverness. It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil. Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 22 square miles after Loch Lomond.

(Loch Ness Exhibition Centre Complex)

(A yellow submarine used to look for Nessie)

(Lochness Museum and Exhibition Centre)

The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition opened over 30 years ago. It features 17 language translations and 11 language narrations. Now a hi-tech multi-media presentation leads you through 7 themed areas and 500 million years of history, natural mystery and legend revealing the unique environment of Loch Ness and the famous Nessie legend. The entrance fee to the exhibition was £7.50/pax.

(A diving suit for rental?)

(Ready to explore the bottom of Loch Ness Lake)

(Exhibit of Skeletons in the museum)

(The detail history of the sightings)

(Time for souvenir shopping)

After visiting the Loch Ness exhibition Centre we drove southwards passing the famous ruins of Urquhart Castle.

Urquhart Castle sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland, a short distance from the village of Drumnadrochit. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. It was subsequently held as a royal castle, and was raided on several occasions. It is now one of the most-visited castles in Scotland.