RAMBLINGS AND RUMBLINGS: LOCH NESS

View of Urquhart Castle with Loch Ness in the background

Loch Ness is best known for the Loch Ness monster however it is the second largest Loch in Scotland by surface area, and the largest by volume. It is 37 kms long and 230 metres deep at its deepest point. It is a fresh water lake but the visibility is extremely low because of the high peat content seeping from surrounding soil. The loch is surrounded by beautiful scenery.

I was going to visit the Loch but due to the holidays the cruises on the Loch weren't running and the Visitor's Centre was closed so I decided to leave it for a day and drive across to the west of Scotland. However on the way I stopped beside the Loch to take photos. After a few more stops and a stop at Urquhart Castle I realised I wasn't going to get to the west so instead spent the day driving around the Loch.

On the banks of the Loch is Urquhart Castle. It is a ruined castle, the ruins dating from between the 13th and 16th centuries. There was a fortification on that site before the castle was built. The Urquharts played a role in the Scottish Wars of Independence during the 14th century and the castle ended up being a royal strong hold. It was attacked a few times by the McDonald Clan but in 1509 it was granted to the Grants as a reward for their support of the king. The Mcdonalds continued to make attacks on the castle and at times it was further fortified. It was finally abandoned in the middle of the 17th century and then destroyed to stop its being occupied by the Jacobites. It is located on a headland overlooking the Loch. It was one of the largest castles in Scotland.

At the south west end of the Loch is the settlement of Fort Augustus. The small village has a population of less than 700 people. It used to be called Kiliwhimin until the Jacobite Rising in 1715. After the Risings General Wade built a fort here and the town was renamed Fort Augustus. It was seized by the Jacobites in 1745. In the late 1800s the Bendictine order established an Abbey and a school here but this eventually closed in 1998.