The Search for Nessie in the Loch Ness
Our September has been insane.. my brother had a baby.. their third.. and I ended up making two trips to Houston.. one solo and one with the family.. the boys have already missed two days of school and we have just now finally begun to get into our routine.. We did have a wonderful family filled time in Houston but ugh I hate flying.. as much as I love travelling I hate airports and planes and packing!
Back to our United Kingdom trip..
From Edinburgh we made our way to the Loch Ness.. I had told the boys all about Nessie and I had a little believer while my eldest was the cynic. We booked a two hour Freedom tour with the Jacobite which included a stop at the Urquhart Castle.
We sat on the top open area for the first half of our journey along the Loch Ness. The boys were given complimentary drawstring bags and coloring books. After the first five minutes of staring out into the waters it got boring. The tour guide was talking but nothing captivating or interesting..
It took us 30 mins to get to the Urquhart Castle. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. Despite a series of raids the castle was strengthened, only to be largely abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces, and subsequently decayed. It was placed in state care in the 20th century and open to public use.
It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed touring the grounds.. in fact the hour went by far too quickly and we had to skip a few areas.
There were a set of stairs that led us all the way down to the Loch.. the boys couldn't help themselves.
Before we knew it it was time to get back on the boat. This time we opted to sit on the lower deck. They had sonar radar sweeping the depths of the Loch. I obviously didn't expect to spot Nessie but maybe a fish or two.. something to get the imagination going. Not a thing.. it was as if the Loch was completely empty and boring.
Back to our United Kingdom trip..
From Edinburgh we made our way to the Loch Ness.. I had told the boys all about Nessie and I had a little believer while my eldest was the cynic. We booked a two hour Freedom tour with the Jacobite which included a stop at the Urquhart Castle.
We sat on the top open area for the first half of our journey along the Loch Ness. The boys were given complimentary drawstring bags and coloring books. After the first five minutes of staring out into the waters it got boring. The tour guide was talking but nothing captivating or interesting..
It took us 30 mins to get to the Urquhart Castle. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. Despite a series of raids the castle was strengthened, only to be largely abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces, and subsequently decayed. It was placed in state care in the 20th century and open to public use.
It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed touring the grounds.. in fact the hour went by far too quickly and we had to skip a few areas.
There were a set of stairs that led us all the way down to the Loch.. the boys couldn't help themselves.
Before we knew it it was time to get back on the boat. This time we opted to sit on the lower deck. They had sonar radar sweeping the depths of the Loch. I obviously didn't expect to spot Nessie but maybe a fish or two.. something to get the imagination going. Not a thing.. it was as if the Loch was completely empty and boring.
Would I do it again? No.
People get sucked into touristy story of the Loch Ness monster and feel that this is a must do.. but we all know there is no Nessie.. so what's the point? Scotland is stunning and there are far more beautiful places in Scotland then the Loch Ness. Skip it!
Beautiful pictures full of joy ☺
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to go here!
ReplyDeleteJennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Nessie was just hiding from you, that's all!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honest review. It did look like a beautiful day at least!
ReplyDeleteFaked photos and no real proof Nessie exists aside, I still want to believe! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are funny to say skip :) Love the reflections and all. Congrats to your brother and a new baby!! I'm sure your kids will be up to speed with school in no time at all, it's nice to be with family.
ReplyDeleteAt least you got some beautiful photos to share, I enjoyed seeing them. Thanks for sharing and for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Have a wonderful new week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being so honest about this trip Hena!! The castle still looks amazing,
ReplyDeleteXOOX
Jodie
Your boys look like they are having the best time in the water. And such a cute picture of him looking for the loch ness haha. The castle is so cool. I've always loved castles, especially the old historic ones. You sure take many interesting trips with your family. I'm not much of a traveler, but the girls love to. I wish I had their sense of adventure.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
*thank you for your wise thoughts on compassion today. And it's so nice you are teaching your boys to be compassionate. I think what you said was true that we are living in a "me first" world.
for someone who does not like to fly, you sure do travel a lot!! but i get it, if you don'y fly, you miss out on this beautiful world...and who wants to do that. i commend you, a lot, traveling with 2 young boy can be very difficult, i did it and it was difficult to get everyone ready.
ReplyDeleteyour family is very lucky to have seen so much of the world. i love the picture of the boys in the water, it is good to be honest about what to see and what to skip, it helps people out!!!
LOLZ....thanks for the honest post, Hena:) I must admit though..your photos are right out of the Highlander movie. Just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful! That castle looks amazing! Thank you for your honest review on the boat tour! With so many things to do it's good to know it isn't worth it!
ReplyDeleteJill - Doused in Pink
Noted! Your stunning photos speak otherwise though!
ReplyDeleteI think I would do it, for the castle and the scenery, but can understand your disappointment. Thank you for the honest assessment.
ReplyDeleteWow, such nice fotos. Scottland is really an amazing country!
ReplyDeleteLovely!
ReplyDeleteCarina | https://carinazz.blogspot.com
Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe color of the sky is very impressive.
ReplyDeleteYou might not have seen Nessie - hope your little believer wasn't too disappointed - but how picturesque is Urquhart Castle, and what a stunning location. xxx P.S. I do hate packing too ;-) xxx
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are great! Especially love the family shots!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures, have a nice day! :**
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your brother and your family! And thanks for this tip on Loch Ness!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see this place sometime!! My kids have been in school a month and I feel like we are just now getting back into the swing of things. I hate flying, too, but it is the only way to get to a lot of cool places!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
What a fun trip! I went many many years ago but I would love to go back!
ReplyDeleteDistrict of Chic
So much fun! You had such a beautiful day for it too!
ReplyDeleteit's a shame you didn't enjoy your time there, but what great weather you had for a boat ride! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen we were in Edinburgh earlier this year I wanted to take the boys to Loch Ness but it's a bit of a drive so we didn't, maybe we can go back when they are older!
Hope that your week is off to a great start :)
Away From Blue
Sorry to hear Loch Ness wasn't more exciting. Your photos are beautiful though.
ReplyDeleteThis is very nice
ReplyDeleteSo much fun.
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2019/09/how-many-wristwatches-should-you-own.html
Aww, I wish this were more of an exciting excursion for you guys!
ReplyDelete-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
What an amazing trip, stunning pisc as usual!
ReplyDeleteKisses, Paola.
Expressyourself
Sounds like you have had a busy but wonderful summer! Congrats to your brother. The trip looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteAmy Ann
Straight A Style
Sounds like a wonderful summer! The trip looks amazing!
ReplyDeletewww.sundaydahlias.com
This looks really fun! The boys are having a blast!
ReplyDeleteJessica | notjessfashion.com
Oh very cute photos!
ReplyDeleteGreat journey
xx
Didn't know they had a tour of the Loch Ness. I believe I had read an article in my Newsfeed how they think Nessie was some kind of eel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up to skip it! I hope to get to Scotland someday!
ReplyDelete