Stand in the small village of Drumnadrochit, on the banks of Loch Ness, and ponder one of Scotland's great mysteries. A puzzle, indeed a perplexity which has intrigued people for many years, with no sign of anyone being able to answer the question. So just why is it that there two Loch Ness visitor centres, sited just seconds apart? At first you might be forgiven for thinking that they are one and the same, arranged like a pair of petrol stations from the same chain on a dual carriageway. However, closer inspection reveals them to be quite separate organisations. One is "Original", the other "Official". Suffice to say that there isn't anything which particularly recommends one over the other, although perhaps "Official" is stronger on facts, with "Original" scoring highly on fun. Regardless, both perform an admirable task of catering for the vast curiosities of huge numbers of tourists who come every year to this enormous body of water.

 

Loch Ness certainly is a place for superlatives. It is 23 miles long, one mile wide, and almost half that distance deep; it would take you longer to drive around it than it would to reach England from Edinburgh, and it contains more water than all of the lakes and rivers in England and Wales put together. Small wonder that the many expeditions which have taken place have failed to find anything monstrous. Some have been deadly serious tasks of scientific endeavour, others frivolous escapades designed to chase and catch nothing more than the tourist pound (or frequently, dollar). There is no doubt that this is a lucrative business. As the town of Inverness watches the early bonuses of a certain celebrity wedding at Dornoch and newly bestowed City status continuing to bear fruit, the area is gearing up for one of its more regular dates on the tourism calendar - the first of this years sightings of "Nessie". She (as the monster is invariably believed to be) was first spotted in modern times by a Mrs. MacKay in 1933, although St. Columba's reputed encounter with Nessie in 565 A.D. (when he commanded that the beast should not consume a follower of his) certainly predates that.

 

If you fancy a stab at claiming a monster spotting credit yourself, then head to one of the most famous vantage points on the loch side. Urquhart Castle sits just outside Drumnadrochit, off the main A82, on a rocky outcrop in the loch. The castle itself is a now a ruin, although that hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most photographed castles in Scotland. There is more here however - catch the place when quiet, and you'll feel the same sense of eerie tranquility that suggests Nessie hasn't made a bad home for herself.

 

In fact, there is much around Loch Ness which would hint at the virtue of looking beyond Nessie, at least for a while. At Invermoriston, the road to Kyle Of Lochalsh joins the A82, and you'll find yourself where the Grants Of Glenmoriston sheltered Bonnie Prince Charlie after he was defeated at Culloden. Fort Augustus marks the midpoint - this picturesque village sits at the bottom of Loch Ness, and is also half way along the Great Glen. Here you can visit Ionad Dualchais a' Chanail Albannaich - The Caledonian Canal Heritage Centre. This venue details the history of the Canal, and gives you a chance to watch the grand "lock flight" take place. A word of warning about the village however - car parking is controlled and offenders most assuredly given a ticket, which seems rather a shame given the otherwise perfectly untroubled ambience.

 

As you round the bottom of the loch and start to climb back up its more remote and somewhat stark South side, stop at the Suidhe Chuimen viewpoint to admire the view over Stratherrick, and then choose between the two routes which present themselves. You can either take the B862 past the pretty (if somewhat overshadowed) Loch Mhor, or continue on the B851 towards Foyers, from the Gaelic foithir, meaning, "slope". Here, a trip to the Falls (made famous by one Mr. R. Burns) is a must. If, by this point, you find yourself beginning to wonder after a certain mythical amphibian again, then head to the Iron Age fort of Dun Dearduil, which sits almost opposite Urquhart Castle and offers another fine view of this vast watery enigma. In Dores, you will find not just poor puns about coming in from the rain (say it out loud) but an excellent inn serving some fine food and drink. You can even head down onto the loch side itself, for a chance to get up close and see if that odd ripple really is a sign of what you suspect. A Swedish research team currently thinks it might be. They have just been given the go-ahead to use a special cage in order to catch Nessie, should she be willing and, of course, exist. They plan to take a skin sample from the creature and identify her, promising in the process that any salmon which are also apprehended will be released. It is a fair bet though that most people living around the loch will be far more concerned with the humane treatment of Nessie's legend.