Our month in Scotland was always intended to be a quieter month. staying in the one location, without a hire car, taking it easy and resting after a busy couple of months in Europe. But we couldn’t miss the chance to explore Loch Ness, considering how much the girls, Farley in particular, love myths, legends and mysterious creatures.

In fact, when we were planning the overall trip, Farley asked if we could go to the Himalayas so she could search for a Yeti. I said ‘Best I can do is the Loch Ness Monster’. But hopefully one day we do go to Nepal or Bhutan, I would absolutely love to explore those areas too.

We hired a car for few days and drove up into the highlands, basing ourselves out of Inverness for two nights. What made the trip extra special was the fact that it coincided with an unseasonal cold snap, meaning we are able the experience the Loch Ness as a winter wonderland, covered in fresh snow. Thankfully, we had already purchased some ski jackets and snowboos in preparation for December.

Here’s our two day Nessie Hunting itinerary.

Day 1:

We first visited The Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit which tells the myths, legends and scientific exploration of the Loch Ness Monster through a series of really well made interactive videos and displays. The centre is housed in the original Drumnadrochit Hotel, which became the epicentre of monster sightings in the 1930s.

About 200m down the road is Nessieland, another tourist attraction dedicated to The Loch Ness monster. It was closed for the winter, so didn’t visit but it does appear to have more of a kitschy collection of information and models of Nessie. Probably a lot of fun for kids, if a little worn out looking.

We then went to the ruins Urquhart Castle which only a short drive from Drumnadrochit. Located by Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle is an impressive ruin that reflects Scotland's rich history. Its views of the loch and surrounding landscape provide a fascinating look into the Highlands' past and is the perfect vantage point for a bit of Nessie spotting. It would have to be one of my favourite castle ruins, based on the location a lone, maybe coming in a close second to Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland.

We had amazing weather on the first day, with a little bit of frost in the morning but beautiful clear skies throughout the day. But on the second day, the weather was extreme, we woke up to fresh snow!

Day 2:

We started by visiting Dores Beach on the northern end of Loch Ness. Farley said she’d really like to spend more time on the edge of the Loch, so I found out that Dores Beach was the best place to stroll along the shoreline. When we got down to the beach we realised we had stumbled across the home of Steve Feltham, Independent Nessie Hunter who has lived in his van on the edge of Loch Ness since, 1991, on a mission to capture evidence of the Loch Ness monster. He appeared in one of the videos we watched at The Loch Ness Centre and we recognised his van. We didn’t meet him though, he was probably rugged up inside his van, but you can read more about him here. The wind and temperature on the beach was extremely cold so we didn’t hang around long, but it was a great view.

We then headed to the Clansman Hotel Harbour for a boat cruise with the company Loch Ness by Jacobite. But just before we boarded the boat it started snowing! The dark clouds blew in from over the mountains and snow started falling. The girls absolutely loved running around in the snow. The cruise had hot beverages on board and a really informative audio guide throughout the duration of the cruise. Initially, visibility was very low but by the time we reached Urquhart Castle, the skies had cleared. It was amazing to see the castle from the water, covered in a blanket of snow and closed to visitors.

The statue of Nessie at the Clansman Hotel with fresh snow

Unfortunately, we can’t report any sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. But the waters of the Loch definitely have a mysterious feel to it, you do get the sense that anything could be lurking below. It’s great that the whole area has embraced the legend and keeps the magic alive.

If we had a little more time, I would have done the complete drive around the Loch, all the way down to Fort Augustus and then back up on the southern side. However, with the snowy conditions and the limited winter daylight hours, we decided to depart for home early enough so we weren’t driving the dark.

Our adventure to Loch Ness is one of my favourite mini trips we have done within this trip. Knowing how much Farley has been looking forward to investigating Loch Ness herself, it will always be a cherish family memory,