I saw Nessy....I think

So after the long day, I was up and at it again because I wanted to go to Loch Ness before I dropped off my car in Glasgow and headed to Preston England.  I wanted to get some pictures of the place that I stayed as well as some pictures of the village that was just a walk away from me.

MacKinnon Country House Hotel - Each room was a different Scottish Clan





Village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye



You can see some castle ruins on the right side.













 





 

 

 

 

So, I got up really early, the B&B was very accommodating about my breakfast, and packed up my car and off I went.  Lucky for me I had to just basically back track and then go straight.  I came at Loch Ness from the back so I didn't realize that I was driving along the Loch until I stopped at Urquhart Castle.  I didn't stop there right then but drove the rest of the way to Drumnadrochit where the "Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition" is located.  It was actually very cool and very educational as it explained the history of the Loch and how the myth of the "monster" came about. 

 

Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater lock.  It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland and its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil.  This is actually one of the reasons there are so many sightings for "Nessy".  Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area but due to its great depth, it is the largest by volume.  Interesting tidbit is that it contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined.

 

Another reason for all the sightings of "Nessy" is because of the great depth of the loch and the fresh water.  Apparently, the way that the fresh water move into the loch causes great ripples in the water, just like something huge swimming just under the surface, and I have to admit, I could have sworn that I saw something swimming by.  Lucky for me I had gone to the Centre before I went to Urquhart Castle or I might have started to believe that there was a monster swimming by.

  

So after going through the centre, I drove back to Urquart Castle.  There are just ruins now but it used to be one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland and the remains show just that.  It is also at this location that most of the "Nessy" sightings occur and you can see why.

 

It is believed that the history of the castle began in the time of St. Columba in the 6th century.  It is believed that the site is called Airchartdan, visited by Columbia in the latter half of the sixth century during one of his visits.  It is not known when the castle was built, but according to records a castle existed on the site from the early 13th century.

 

 

It changed hands a couple of times, mostly by force, then
in 1509 it was given as a gift to the Grants, whose ownership lasted until 1912. This tower is called Grant tower and it is believed that this was the primary residence at that time.  

Grants tower consists of five stories and an upper castellated wall.  The tower's south-west side blew down in a storm in the early 18th century, but the remaining sections can be accessed by the circular staircase built into one corner of the tower and provided great views of the loch and castle ruins.  Below the tower are the Great Hall, kitchen, various trades and the chapel, mostly in ruins.

The castle was captured by MacDonalds in 1545 and then it was captured again by Covenanter force in 1644. The castle was largely destroyed in 1692 by Williamite troops who had been holding the castle against Jacobite forces. They destroyed it in large part because they did not want the castle to become a Jacobite stronghold and the castle was left in ruins from that time.

The walled portion of the castle is shaped roughly like a figure-8 aligned northeast-southwest along the bank of Loch Ness.  The main gate is on the inland side near the middle, narrow portion, of the walls.  The castle is really close to the loch and a dry moat was excavated on the inland side with a drawbridge leading to the main gate.

 

It took longer than I had initially planed (what else is new) but I was glad that I went.  This was a wonderful last stop in my visit to Scotland.