Loch Ness, Scotland

From Achindarroch Touring Park in Duror, we drove northeast eventually coming to Loch Ness. Before exploring Urquhart Castle along the west shore of the loch, Brian took his first scan for Nessie, the legendary Loch Ness monster.

View to the northeast, looking up Loch Ness. Grant Tower looms over Urquhart Castle, making it easy to spot from a distance.

Bare trees near Grant Tower give away the season of our visit - mid November. The temperature was cold, but we felt blessed by the clear skies and dry weather.

As we explored the ruin, we caught glimpses of Grant Tower from several angles. The self-guided tour is laid out well, providing information about the 1,000-year-old castle and its collection of artifacts, including a working trebuchet siege engine.

Here you can see that Urquhart Castle was built right on the edge of Loch Ness, providing an excellent defense and vantage point for spotting invaders from the water.

I expect one thousand years ago invaders did not have such nice vessels as this tour boat. I wonder if they saw Nessie. 

As the sun makes its way to the horizon, we take one last look toward the southwest end of this tranquil loch. Before we make our way back to our motorhome in the parking lot, Brian tries one last time to spot Nessie ... to no avail. She must be hiding.