For those of you who thought that the earth had opened up and swallowed me, u`ll be disappointed/relieved to hear thats not true. As indicated in my previous post, I was busy writing up my first year report and last monday I just passed my progression viva. So thats a huge tension off my head and now I`m free to post again.
Anyway, the last month hasnt been only about report writing. In between I did head off for a conference in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was an interesting conference lasting 4 days, and I did enjoy most of it, but thats not really what this post is going to be about.When I was done with the conference, I headed down to Stirling to join my cousin, Josi for a few days off.
Josi, just obtained his drivers licence for the U.K, a feat which is quite some accomplishment here. Anyway, we wanted to make the most of it and decided to hire a car and drive somewhere nice and exciting. And to add to that, I had just acquired my new camera (sony DSC H9)and was desperate to test it out at some challenging location....and so it was that Loch Ness ended up as our destination of choice.For those who are not familiar with Loch Ness , I have loads to mention. Loch Ness is a huge freshwater lake in Scotland.It is about 15 m above sealevel and holds the greatest volume of water amongst lakes in Scotland.It is about 37 km wide and at its deepest point its 230 m deep. The Loch (lake) is also interconnected with several other water bodies in Scotland but its waters are notoriously murky due to the peat content of the adjoining banks, thus making visibilty very poor. Now, you may wonder why im giving you lessons in geography, but thats not the point. The point is all these conditions make it a perfect hideout/habitat for a mystery/mythical creature. A lot of you will know what I`m talking about - "The Loch Ness Monster" (also fondly called as "Nessie").
My first exposure to the mystery of the Loch Ness monster must`ve been in school. I`m not sure if it was in a text book or elsewhere, but I was hooked on first read! Little did I know then that one day I would be right in the heart of Loch Ness (well, atleast on the banks of it).
Reports of the Loch Ness monster being sighted in these murky waters date as far back as the 16th century and continue as recent as the current year. Most people sighting the animal have reported it to be a creature with a long neck and two humps. This has given rise to the speculation that it could possibly be a plesiosaurus - a type of dinosaur. One of the best known proof of sighting has come from a British surgeon who claimed to have caught it on film. This photograph (below)raised a lot of interest in Nessie, but its authenticity has been questioned.
However,several people have caught possible sightings on videos and images subsequently and the mystery continues.
We started of from stirling on a sunny morning aiming to head along the most scenic sights scotland had to offer. Our first stop was at Doune castle. This castle is one of Scotlands best preserved medevial castles. Although it skipped me at that time, I was amazed to learn that "Monty python and the Holy Grail" was filmed here.Anyway after savouring a quick view of its exterior and looking at a picture perfect stream that was tucked away behind the castle, we decided to make a move.
In a short while we were heading up the scottish highlands. The weather started getting cold and rainy, but we were compensated for it by some spectacular scenery along the way. Dotted along the route were several mountains, flooded with greenery and small lakes reflecting the incredible beauty. If it werent so cold, I`d have thought this is paradise!
It was around noon when we finally caught the first glimpses of Loch Ness and since we were`nt looking for a particular point to stop, we were a bit lost. However, as we drove around, my sights were always on the lake to catch a possible sighting of Nessie.
It wasnt long before we chanced upon Urquhart Castle. This castle, or rather the ruins of it, overlooks the Loch Ness and is probably one of the best locations to observe the calm lake for tell-tale signs of Nessie. Built sometime in 1200s, what remains of it is extensively preserved and looked tempting. However after surveying as much as we could from its exterior, we decided to give it a miss due to what we thought were exhorbitant entry tickets!We then headed up into one of two Loch Ness visitor centres, to sample the offerings there and get our hands on a few souvenirs. Inside, i also chanced to see this news paper clipping of the latest sighting of Nessy - as recent as 5 months back. The footage recorded by this person is currently undergoing analysis.
Its hard not to wonder about the existence of a tantalizingly mysterious giant creature, which ironically is as elusive as anything has ever been. If it truly exists, it probably lives a life of its own down there just like any other creature, feeding, playing, prehaps socialising(, and if it has a mate, reproducing(?)..and if so..that makes it all the more mysterious why there havent been more sightings of such creatures.
while we mulled over these questions, we sampled coffee from the Pibroch whisky bar adjoining the visitor centre. We then decided to call it a day and headed off, but not before we stopped by to actually touch the water that has successfully concealed one of the mankind`s most intriguing secrets.After stopping to click away at some amazingly beautiful scenery, made all the more spectacular by a perfect sunset, we headed back to stirling humbled by having explored the habitat of something so spectacular. Ideally, I`d have loved to stay on and watch the waters of the Loch Ness for as long as it would take to catch a glimpse of Nessie with my own eyes...after all I am the "Doubting Thomas"!
