In Search of Nessie

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This morning we woke up to the rain we went to sleep with... only to discover that it is leaking into the walls of the caravan. Really hope this van makes the rest of the trip. The boys are enjoying sleeping out in the annexe. They have a lot more room to stretch while they sleep. Stormy is still not very well today. She has an even bigger head tilt and is very vague. Not good!

Luckily the rain decided to take a hike for the rest of the day, leaving behind it the most magical mist we have ever seen, so we headed out in search of the beautiful Loch Ness. The navigator told us it would be a 2 hour drive to get all the way around the loch. Fantastic! We took a packed lunch and headed out just as the mists started to rise around the mountains. What a sight!

As it turned out the trip around would take us all day. So many things to see!

We stopped for many a scenic shot of the mist over the mountains and the loch as we headed closer and closer to the famous Castle Urquhart, which was about half way around the loch. When we reached this historic structure we headed in for a look at a castle that we thought would take us half an hour to explore. Boy, were we mistaken! As it turned out we were there for well over 2 hours, even enjoying our packed lunch while there. It is massive and absolutely amazing. Another example of a grand structure gone to waste in the days of battling over ownership. It was blown up by it's owners in the apparent tradition of "If I can't have it... then nobody can!". So many of UK's beautiful castles have been destroyed in this manner. What a waste!!!

We eventually made our way around the entire distance of the loch... after many a stop for photos. We have filled so many memory cards today! The fun will really begin when we have to filter through them.... so many opportunities in this beautiful piece of heaven!

Though we didn't sight Nessie herself (we are sure she was out there somewhere though) Loch Ness is awe-inspiringly, gob-smackingly, beautiful!!! This really is heaven on earth!

What a place!

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