Channel: Destination Tips

Category: Travel & Events

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Description: Radioactive silt, black water, massive search parties and the "Chaggis"... If you think you know all there is to know about Loch Ness, stay tuned to find out what you don't! 1. Nessiesaurus The Loch Ness actually sits on a fault line that was apparently formed some 400 million years ago, there are actually 4 lakes on this fault line, called The Great Glen Fault, and it can be seen from space, in fact, many people claim to have spotted Nessie from satellite photography or on Google Earth. The fact that the lake sits in this Prehistoric fault line has led many to believe that Nessie may actually be a Plesiosaur. 2. Radioactive. Loch Ness has 2 different layers of radioactive sediment on the lakebed one layer is believed to be a result of the extensive nuclear bomb testing that happened before the ban in 1963 and the second layer, just 4cm under the lakebed is believed to be from the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, and this radiation may be responsible for the differences found in the activity of bottom feeders and plankton in Loch Ness. 3. Operation Deepscan. In 1987 there was a massive operation costing around $1 million to scan the entire Loch Ness using Sonar. 19 boats fitted with Lowrance X-16 sonar units formed a line on the Loch and began to scan, in the end, they only managed to scan approximately 60% of the Loch because the sides and the bays couldn't be covered but even so they had three different hits from a depths ranging from 256ft (78m) to 590ft (180m) and the target was larger than a shark but smaller than a whale, too large for any known inhabitant of the Loch. 4. Nessie's cousin The Loch Ness Monster isn't the only monster believed to be hiding in the Scottish lakes, Loch Morar on the west coast is believed to be the home of Nessie's cousin, Morag, and speaking of Morag, if you're planning on visiting Loch Ness, there's a nice hostel on the west coast of the Loch called Morag's Lodge, they offer highland hospitality, drunken pub quizzes and sing along's, and gastronomic delights like the "Chaggis" which is a roasted chicken stuffed with haggis. 5. Loch Ness Bottled. You can buy Loch Ness Water in a bottle as a souvenir, although drinking it won't give you Nessie superpowers despite some thinking it may contain Nessie DNA, the water itself does have some interesting qualities. The Loch contains 263 billion cubic feet of water (7.4 billion m3) of water, this water is replenished by rainfall running off the peaty hills around the Loch, these peat particles reduce the visibility underwater, coloring the water black. The Loch also maintains a temperature of 41f (5c) all year round even though winter temperatures in Scotland drop well below freezing. 6. The Caledonian Canal. Loch Ness isn't a solitary lake, it's actually a series of 4 lakes extending 60 miles (100km) from Fort William in the east to Inverness in the west. These lakes are joined by man-made canals and 29 locks, the most impressive is a group of 8 locks that form "Neptune's Staircase". This canal was originally created in 1849 to save ships having to brave the perilous northern route through the Pentland Firth, nowadays it's mainly used for leisure purposes and tourists can even rent a boat or canoe to travel along the canal. 7. Insurance. Even though many people believe the Loch Ness Monster doesn't exist and that it's all a hoax. Competitors of a Scottish triathlon had to complete the swimming part of the event in Urquhart Bay, a place in the Loch where Nessie has been sighted on a number of occasions, just in case having all these humans splashing in the water attracted Nessie, the event organizers actually insured the competitors in the event, $1 million against possible bites or attacks that they may suffer. 8. Haunted House. On the southern bank of Loch Ness is a house the is supposedly haunted. It was bought by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in the early 1970s because of the artist's interest in the house's previous owner, Victorian occultist and Black arts magician Aleister Crowley. Crowley bought Boleskine House in 1899 aged 25 because he thought it was an ideal location to carry out some rituals from a spellbook called the book of Abramelin, unfortunately, Crowley had to leave Boleskin before he completed the full operation and so the demons he had supposedly summoned were just left gathered in the house. Although Jimmy Page only visited the house a few times until he eventually sold it in the 1990's he said that "Bad Vibes" ran through the property, his childhood friend and caretaker of the property Malcolm Dent, who lived there for 20 years stated that doors would just swing open or slam shut and that he would go into a room to find carpets and rugs just piled up. Would you eat a Chaggis? comment below! Get more Tips here! destinationtips.com