Searching for Nessie

"The poetry of the earth is never dead."
John Keats, "On the Grasshopper and the Cricket"

Sometimes it is good to get out of the city and explore the places that haven't been disturbed by humanity.  Yesterday, I took a day tour with a group of other St Andrews students to Loch Ness and got to see the natural beauty of Scotland.  As we journeyed up through the Highlands, I was blown away with just how beautiful Scotland is and saw some of the most wonderful places.

Our first stop of the day was in a town called Dunkeld which seemed like it was plucked straight out of a fairytale.  It is a sleepy little town situated on the bank of the River Tay.  It stopped raining shortly after we got there, and the sun came out for a bit, illuminating the true beauty of this place.

Dunkeld Cathedral

Dunkeld Cathedral

After Dunkeld, we made a quick stop for a beautiful view of this river where Queen Victoria once bathed (obviously in the calmer part of the river as seen in the bottom left picture).  

I think one of my favorite places that we visited was Loch Laggan.  It was so beautiful and reminded me of just how lucky I am to be here.  The sun was starting to come out once again, there was a bit of blue sky, and the view of the lake was spectacular.

Loch Laggan

Loch Laggan

Loch Laggan

Laggan Dam

By the time we actually made it to Loch Ness, it was cloudy and cold again.  The majority of the group took the boat tour, and we learned a lot about the lake and the monster that dwells in its depths.  The lake itself is almost black from the peat that the rain washes into the lake, so you can't see more than ten feet in front of you; you would never see Nessie coming!  Apparently there are also fish big enough within the lake that are often seen to eat the birds that dare float on the surface!  Unfortunately, Nessie didn't want to come out to play...

Loch Ness 

Loch Ness

Loch Ness

Loch Ness

Me in front of Loch Ness!

After Loch Ness, we journeyed up through Aberdeen then made our way back down towards St Andrews.  Even though we had made it to Loch Ness and seen a lot of the Highlands on the way, there were still some beautiful sights to see on the way back!

 I absolutely loved this tour and am so glad that I did it!  I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to get out of the city and see a more natural side to Scotland.  I definitely want to see more of the Scottish Highlands and the west coast.  I also hope to visit some of the islands as well.  I guess it's time to start looking into other trips!