UBC October 2025 - Loch Ness: Chasing Scotland’s Most Famous Myth

What comes to mind when you hear “travel to Scotland”? Whisky, bagpipes, kilts, Highland cattle  and of course, Loch Ness. Right?

We had plenty of opportunities to join whisky tastings, but since we don’t drink hard liquor, we passed. (Driving by the massive Chivas Brothers manufacturing plant was impressive enough.)

We also encountered two bagpipe players in Edinburgh. Honestly, they didn’t stand out much from regular street musicians. One even played a bit off-key, but he seemed confident that his kilt alone would bring in the tips.

As for the Highland cows? Sadly, none of the fuzzy kind crossed our path. So here’s a borrowed photo instead:

Photo by Polina Kuzovkova on Unsplash

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. Instead of the shaggy highland cows, we encountered another beautiful animal. I admit, I had to look up what kind of colorful bird it was: a pheasant! 

I hadn't expected these cuddly alpacas either. Or are they llamas?

Since I'm not brave enough to try haggis, a Scottish dish consisting of a sheep's or calf's offal mixed with suet, oatmeal and seasoning and boiled in a bag, traditionally one made from the animal's stomach, that left Loch Ness as the final stereotype on our checklist.

It was quite a drive, especially with detours caused by fallen trees after Storm Amy, but it was one of those “the journey is the destination” days, and a beautiful one at that. What a difference a blue sky makes!

We passed several lochs with delightful names, Loch Lochy definitely wins the prize for most literal.

Scotland actually has over 30,000 freshwater lochs, ranging from tiny lochans to giants like Loch Ness and Loch Lomond. I used to think a “loch” was some mysterious, specifically Scottish type of water, but it simply means lake or sea inlet in Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

Of course, what really makes Loch Ness famous isn’t its name; it’s Nessie.

The legend of the Loch Ness Monster goes way back, a blend of ancient folklore and modern imagination. The most famous “sighting” in 1933 sparked global fascination, followed by the iconic 1934 “surgeon’s photograph,” which later turned out to be a hoax. Over the years, countless expeditions, sonar scans, and scientific studies have come up empty-handed. Most alleged sightings can be explained by hoaxes, waves, logs, or wishful thinking.

So, no, I wasn’t holding my breath for a personal encounter.
But I was expecting at least a viewpoint with a kiosk selling plush Nessies and magnets.

Apparently, we’d have had to drive another hour round-trip to reach that part of the loch.

So our Nessie encounter would have to wait until lunchtime. Stay tuned; you’ll read about it tomorrow.

Do you believe in local legends like Nessie, or do you think they’re part of the fun even if they’re not real? And would you try haggis?