Did You Know Magic is Only a Plane Ride Away?

If you’re looking for a little magic on your next vacation, plan a visit to the Scottish Highlands. The folklore and legends of this beautiful and ancient land include Kelpies (a shape-shifting spirit described as a black horse-like creature who can take on human form), Selkies (people who change into seals), and, of course, the most well-known of all, the legendary, Nessie, aka the Loch Ness Monster.

 

Loch Ness

The Highlands are almost 10,000 sq miles of land in northern Scotland. Few people choose to make their home there, but those who do enjoy breathtaking views of enormous mountains (including the highest in the British Isles), shimmering lochs (lakes), and picturesque valleys.

DYK the Scottish Highlands is the least populated place in all of Europe?

Loch Ness lies southwest of the city of Inverness. It’s both Scotland’s second-largest loch (it’s almost 23 miles long) and second-deepest (nearly 800 feet to the bottom at its deepest point). But put those two elements together, and it is number one in the British Isles when it comes to the volume of freshwater it holds.

DYK Loch Ness contains more water than all the combined lakes in England and Wales, and is deeper than the North Sea?

 

Nessie

According to PBS’ science series, NOVA, the Nessie legend and myth goes back to when the Romans arrived on Scottish soil in the first century and saw the Pict’s carvings of “her” on standing stones near Loch Ness. The first recorded—eyeball-to-eyeball—account is from the sixth century. St. Columba, an Irish saint, saw the monster about to attack a man swimming across the loch. He yelled at it, calling on God’s name and commanding it to leave. It did, and though it’s been seen off and on over the years since then, it’s never harmed anyone.

DYK swimming in Loch Ness today isn’t advised? The annual average water temperature is only 41 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the twentieth century, Nessie sightings increased. The first reported modern sighting came eighty-nine years ago, on May 2, 1933, by a couple traveling along the newly finished road next to the loch. Nessie’s picture was supposedly taken for the first time in 1934, but that photograph later proved to be a hoax. From the 1960s through the 1990s, various expeditions have been launched to try and find her, but no conclusive results have ever been discovered.

 

A “Dram” for the Road

You may ask, how Nessie has stayed hidden all these years. Part of the answer lies in the loch’s depth. Another factor can be attributed to the surrounding soil’s high peat content, which makes visibility in the loch exceptionally bad. Then again, maybe there’s another, simpler answer. Did you know there are 47 distilleries in the Scottish Highlands? This area produces more of Scotland’s favorite beverage—whisky—than any other place in Scotland. I’m not saying this is the reason for all the Nessie sightings, but it does make you wonder, doesn’t it?

DYK a “dram” is a small drink of whisky or other spirits?

 

Photos from My Last Visit to Scotland . . .