One thing I realized in Scotland was that I didn't know nearly as much about the country as I thought I did.  A good case in point is Loch Ness.  Naturally I had heard of it and seen that famous photo of a mysterious creature in the lake, but I had always assumed that it was just one lake in many in the Highlands, and that its only distinguishing feature was that people thought there was a monster inside.

What I found after a few days in Fort Augustus was that Loch Ness is actually a very, very interesting lake, apart from all the talk of Nessie. The lake sits on a fault line, meaning it's extremely narrow but so deep that it holds more fresh water than the rest of British lakes and rivers combined.  The lake has a population of Arctic charr, trapped in the loch outside of their usual saltwater territory since the last ice age.  Considering this, is it so farfetched to think there's a monster somewhere down there?  

We stayed in Fort Augustus, though there are many other towns on the Loch.  While there is a definite shortage of affordable, nice-looking restaurants, I would definitely recommend it, if only for the Clansman Centre.  Here's a rundown of Fort Augustus.  

The Good 

The Clansman Centre Another thing I knew nothing about prior to this trip was the reality of Highland life.  The show they put on at the Clansman Centre spares no detail of the hard scrabble life of the clans before the Clearances.  I don't remember what they charge for the show, but it was definitely worth it.  One lucky lad and lass will get to try on a kilt.  Be sure you're wearing clean underwear before you volunteer.

The So-So

A Loch Ness cruiseLess worth the money was the one-hour Loch Ness cruise we did.  The views of the loch were nice and the sonar was fun, but neither were 9 pounds worth of fun, unless you're a true Nessie believer.  

The Ugly

Urquhart CastleWe couldn't be bothered to pay 6 and a half pounds for admission to a ruined castle.  Seeing it from the parking lot was atmospheric enough, even if the staff came out of the visitors' centre to shoo us off the stone wall we were standing on.  Apparently they are planting trees so that in the future you won't be able to see the castle for free from the road.  The ruined castle.  Which presumably doesn't require much upkeep.  

Oh, and the midges.  Perhaps the true monsters of Loch Ness.  Bring some industrial bug spray.