Hello friends! I have been having major Scotland withdrawals lately. To be honest, out of our entire trip, Scotland is the place I always miss the most. I miss the breathtaking landscape. I miss the super friendly people. I miss the magical feeling of walking around somewhere so old. Scotland just always stays with you. Today I’m going to share another part of Scotland with you! We were excited to take a tour of the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness with The Hairy Coo touring company! Now, I have to preface this by saying that I don’t normally suggest touring groups because I would much rather explore by myself. I feel that much more ground can be covered if you tour by yourself and you have the chance to stop and see whatever you want because you are making the schedule. However, The Hairy Coo tour was amazing. The tour guide was hilarious, gave excellent historical information, and even stopped at places not on the schedule because he thought it would be a good photo opportunity! I highly suggest taking the Hairy Coo tours if you don’t have a car available! Ok, time to get down to business. Let’s go find Nessie, shall we?
We started our tour of Loch Ness in an adorable little town called Fort Augustus. Imagine the place where little red riding hood lives, and you would have Fort Augustus. The town is full of beautiful old buildings turned touristy shops.
We hopped on a double-decker boat and ventured out into the vast Loch Ness. The views from the water are incredible! The loch is mostly surrounded by mountains. There was something mysteriously beautiful about the foggy day and looking for the notorious Nessie.
The tour guide on board told us the history of Nessie as we floated down the loch.
Did you know that if you are in Loch Ness longer than a minute you will die of hypothermia? The loch is so deep and dark that the sun cannot penetrate very far into the water, keeping the average temperature 42 degrees Fahrenheit year-round!
Many people over many centuries have been said to have spotted the Loch Ness Monster! Nessie is said to be quite large and have a long thin neck that protrudes the dark waters. The bad news is that an animal with such a long neck wouldn’t be able to live in water as cold as Loch Ness. We were pretty bummed to learn that news, but then something crazy happened.
Like really crazy. WE FOUND NESSIE!!!
Ok, so maybe not, but the boat had a little Nessie painted on the window that made for a perfect photo op!
If you look on the sides of the mountains as you boat around you might even see some wild sheep! They, unlike Nessie, are real! The trip was so beautiful and my photos don’t even do it justice.
I hope one day you venture out to find Nessie!
❤ Abbie
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